Oft-Repeated GOP Lie Exposed by ex-Lehman CEO
Today on Capitol Hill, former Lehamn Brothers' CEO Richard Fuld was experiencing a grilling similar to that experienced by the salmon fillet I had for dinner. In his testimory however, he exposed a frequently used GOP lie for what it is.
Hoping for some fresh video clips to use in support of their lie, GOPer Rep. John Mica of Florida asked Fuld what role Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac played in the death of Lehman Brothers, and the need for the $700 Billion Wall Street Bailout. Fuld immediately poured dry ice on the GOPer fire by answering "de minimis." That's a latin phrase, meaning none, or very little.
So there you have it folks. The former CEO of Lehman Brothers telling you under oath, that Fannie and Freddie had absolutely ZERO to do with the Wall Street meltdown. Indeed, as a column in today's Newsweek points out, the Community Reinvestment Act, which GOPers from John McCain to Ron Paul have fingered as root cause of the meltdown, only applies to depository banks. In case you haven't noticed, it is depository banks like Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase that are still standing, and purchasing up failed investment banks like Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch.
In other words, this whole nonsense is misdirection intended to distract attention from the root cause of the meltdown, the deregulation of the financial markets by the GOP buddies of the Wall Street fat cats.
See this excellent column by Newsweek's Daniel Gross for more details.
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