Obama, Congress knew about AIG bonuses for months (Obama continues the lies)

ap ^ | 3/17/2009 | JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS

[tobyhill]

Cue the outrage. For months, the Obama administration and members of Congress have known that insurance giant AIG was getting ready to pay huge bonuses while living off government bailouts. It wasn't until the money was flowing and news was trickling out to the public that official Washington rose up in anger and vowed to yank the money back.

Why the sudden furor, just weeks after Barack Obama's team paid out $30 billion in additional aid to the company? So far, the administration has been unable to match its actions to Obama's tough rhetoric on executive compensation. And Congress has been unable or unwilling to restrict bonuses for bailout recipients, despite some lawmakers' repeated efforts to do so.

The situation has the White House and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on the defensive. The administration was caught off guard Tuesday trying to explain why Geithner had waited until last Wednesday to call AIG chief executive Edward M. Liddy and demand that the bonus payments be restructured.

Neither Obama nor Geithner learned of the impending bonus payments until last week, senior administration officials told The Associated Press late Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity about internal discussions.

[jveritas]

You should ask the mod to put this in the breaking news section. It belongs there.

[jveritas]

Excellent, the mods moved it to the breaking news section.

[GraniteStateDad]

That’s what Barney said...

[Rome2000]

Neither Obama nor Geithner learned of the impending bonus payments until last week, senior administration officials told The Associated Press late Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity about internal discussions.

Next they'll say HUSSEIN is Christian!!

[elpadre]

The government owns 80% of AIG and should have a representative at he highest levels. I believe this whole episode has been known by Obama and his minions since the date of disbursement was determined. What we are hearing is pure grandstanding and phony - and needs to be exposed as such.

[topfile]

Obama’s telepromter has issued a full denial!

[Rome2000]

Good old Associated Press, run by the likes of this beast and her coven of minor league propagandists.

I wonder what they are going to do when there aren't any newspapers left.

[Bayou Dittohead]

This crap has to end.

The Democrats caused almost all of this debacle.

The Community Reinvestment Act. Mark to market.

We must educate the American public to the effect that GOVERNMENT has upon their jobs, their employer, and there well being. Most people wake up and go to work. They may not like their boss, but they have to understand that the government cannot pay anyone anything that they do not take from someone else.

The FREAKING liberals have dumbed down the public so much that they no longer think with anything close to common sense.

I don’t like rich people. Never had. They don’t bowl, drink beer, smoke cigarettes or hang out with people like me. BUT, I don’t hate them either. They start companies. Hire middle class people like me. Pay us well when we contribute to the bottom line. Take the risks that some of us try but might fail at.

The DEMOCRATS have screwed up this country for too long.
Republicans are not GOD but they offer the last hope for this country if they will just get a set of NADS and be directly honest for a change.

Tell people the truth. If you are not willing to go to school or work in a hard profession, you will sit on a street corner with your pants hanging below your ass and wonder why the “man” has been keeping you down for so long.

[Minn]

The only people who can navigate the US out of this financial time bomb is the experts in AIG.

You do realize how hilarious that is, don't you?

[Lorianne]

It’s not about the bonuses. That’s a diversionary tactic. We should never have bailout AIG (or anyone else) in the first place ... and they know it.

Everyone was on the take on this one.

[FlyingEagle]

American International Group: All Recipients
Among Federal Candidates, 1989-2008
Total: $4,362,625

Name Total Contributions
Dodd, Chris (D-Conn) $280,238
Bush, George W (R-Texas) $200,560
Schumer, Charles E (D-NY) $111,875
Obama, Barack (D-Ill) $107,332
McCain, John (R-Ariz) $99,249
Baucus, Max (D-Mont) $90,000
Kerry, John (D-Mass) $85,000
Johnson, Nancy L (R-Conn) $75,400
Sununu, John E (R-NH) $69,049
Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) $59,515
Lieberman, Joe (I-Conn) $57,900
Rangel, Charles B (D-NY) $53,582
Giuliani, Rudolph W (R-NY) $50,250

[Minn]

It’s really too bad for Barry’s utopian plans that this issue arose so quickly. Now people get a real good look at the thorny issues created by government ownership of industries.

[Spunky]

From page H1412 of the Final Stimulus Bill, ``SEC. 111. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: "(iii) The prohibition required under clause (i) shall not be construed to prohibit any bonus payment required to be paid pursuant to a writte employment contract executed on or before February 11, 2009, as such valid employment contracts are determined by the Secretary or the designee of the Secretary."

Stimulas Bill

[NoLibZone]

ObounusGate

[Krankor]

Hey, I like that.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

"We know nothing. Nothing!"

[tobyhill]

Thank you for moving this to Breaking. It looks like the MSM is finally catching on to what Freepers have been yelling for years.

[GraniteStateDad]

Would the Republican party please wake up and start shouting some of this stuff from the rooftops!
This isn’t comical - it’s criminal!
Frank and Dodds should be behind bars!

[SusaninOhio]

lying pond scum.

that has a nice ring to it.

[tobyhill]

These clowns wrote the law and Obama signed it after they dropped the bonus limitation provision so there's no way they didn't know this was happening.