Neel Kashkari, Bailout Czar, Not A Fan Of Public Questions

When it came time for questions, the former Goldman Sachs executive told the eager audience that he had time for just "two or three."

In response to the first question, about the government's latest lifeline for beleaguered insurance company American International Group, Kashkari gave a clipped response before quickly moving on.

"This morning's action at AIG was a one-off event" that was necessary for the financial stability of the markets, he said. "He didn't say anything that I couldn't have learned from going to the Web site," griped one mortgage entrepreneur. Treasury spokeswoman Jennifer Zuccarelli said it's not unusual for public officials to answer a few questions before moving on. Kashkari's impatient tone comes amid a growing desire for openness about how government agencies, including the Treasury, are handling billions of taxpayer dollars being used to prop up Wall Street.

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Read up on Neel Kashkari, the former Goldman Sachs exec and current Assistant Secretary of Treasury

Comments

[Jaybot]

Personally, I really enjoyed 'The Mummy' movies, even the one with that wrestling actor.

[sws3030]

I have to answer to ym boss at work...sho­uldn't he also have to answer to the person that pays his salery(aka the American Taxpayer)

[AngerAndDetermination]

Seriously Sen. Obama: Fire these guys first: the richy-rich investment bankers looting the Treasury. Fire them before anyone else. There is little that Robert Gates or the other Republican torturers and fear-mongers can do in the coupld of days it takes to get rid of these guys. Put Gates, et cetera, on the second string in front of the guillotine.

Then -- oh, yeah! -- start prosecuting Halliburton execs and the other Iraq War profiteers for fraud. Sweet, sweet, sweet.

[Mercy8 om]

Amen!!

[bbrecht]

Yes we can!

[vincefango]

And while prosecuting these corporations, make an amendment to the Constitution that will never allow companies (Blackwater and the others we don't even know about) that provide hired mercenaries to be in business ever again.

[Bettysdad]

First mistake is referring to this guy as "the former Goldman Sachs executive.­"

He's just working out of the Treasury building.

[noneIn2008]

So the key factor for a business success will be the quality of your lobbyist to get free taxpayer dollars. Not your product nor serving consumers. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have shown this works. The new business model will be hiring multi million dollar lobbyist. Well, maybe not so new, but the model will be used by more businesses.

[duze]

CRIMINAL. Why is it , if someone steals a loaf of bread, they get the book thrown at them. These people led by Paulson get a chance to take more. When Paulson gave a two page explanation why he needed 700 billion to straighten out the mess he madek it was federal jail time. I can't stand the way they get theirs coming and going. The take all they want while they work their, then when their found out they take more to get things straughtened out. Like I said coming and going.

[Nooneyouknow]

They're a better class of criminal, much like our ruling elites, and so deserve to be exempt from "laws." Laws are for little people.

[mesut]

Can President Elect Obama fire this guy on Day 2 in the WH? This guy takes the job and thinks he doesn't have to answer questions?

[UWNBM]

Hey cue ball...ans­wer questions or your a-- is grass!

[MarkBoston]

The republicans are looting the bank before they leave power ... No one sees this ???

[TrueSense]

These people simply hate America, democracy, and the Consitutuion !

Of course they are robbing US. They do not want to see government work, especially not for the common good. I think we all should ask for a million with no strings attached. We will need that much after the dollar collapses and we will go to a new currency outside the private Fedaral Reservse system. May be the Amero, but that has too much of an agenda. Rachel Maddow's show had a guest that actually talked about the need to get out from under the debt by some kind of reshaping of the currency.

[darthdarcy]

When this type is up to dirty business their instinct is to act like this...

If you were part of this huge financial fraud and heist you wouldn't want to answer questions either..

The truth is had we addressed this crisis as I saw it coming and was offering my solution to many in our government and posted here a number of times, not one dime of Tax payers money needed to be spent to solve the Sub Prime part of this crisis....

Also the arrogance of this guy is equal to and reflects Bernanke and Paulson's arrogance as well...The Federal Reserve chief and Goldman Sachs's Paulson and Kashkari are above the law, regulation oversight ...they only answer to The Bilderberg Group and alike..

[johnie2xs]

The creep factor, for this guy, is off the charts.

[Apollo72]

Someone took his Legos

[newleaf]

it makes me incredibly sad that these thieves are being allowed to ransack the piggy bank one last time before they run away into the sunset (in the Carribean, with their ill-gotten bonuses...­...) I am incredulous that the No CEO Left Behind act passed wholesale. Why don't the people have a say? You can't tell me our elected officials represented the desires of the people, which seems to be, Hey Wall Street, you made the bed, YOU lie in it!

so, I wonder: do we really have democracy? Don't we all really recognize it for what it is, corporate welfare with dollars stolen from from we, the people?

so much for transparency!!! Please, please Obama, save us!!!!!!!!

[HWNA]

Oh, well don't you know that the Bush administration and the jokers in Congress know what is best for us?

After all, to them we are just the little people who pay their salaries and vote them into power.

[kingv100]

he didn't want anyone asking him about being a resurrected mummy.

[Tinsdale]

He looks pleasant. Sorta like that 1920's movie idol, Nosferatu.

[grizhead63]

Dammif he doesnt!

[jimme]

Good catch. Maybe the Son of Nasferatu,eh!