Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made a simple threat to him (Lewis)

[katty]

Excerpt: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/71985.html

Paulson is the third witness to testify before the committee about the blur of anxiety at the top levels of the U.S. financial regulatory agencies in the days before the government-brokered purchase of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, which was then the nation's largest commercial bank.

Bank of America Chief Executive Ken Lewis previously told the committee that both Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made a simple threat to him: Back out of the Merrill Lynch merger and you and Bank of America's board of directors will lose your jobs.

Last month, Bernanke denied making any such threat.

Seated alone at a long table Thursday, Paulson submitted to three and a half hours of often heated questioning, his raspy voice so low at times that lawmakers repeatedly had to remind him to lean into his microphone.

Paulson recalled that in December, he told Lewis that it would be "a colossal lack of judgment" to invoke a clause calling off the $50 billion deal to buy Merrill Lynch. He also informed Lewis that both the executive and the bank's board of directors could be fired if the deal didn't go through.

[bvar22]

1. Paulson & Friends:

NOW we have Your Children’s Money too !!!
And there is not a fucking thing you can do about it!
Now THIS is “Bi-Partisanship” !
Better get used to it!!
Hahahahahahahahaha!

[katty]

2. hanky panky paul should be ponzi madoff's cellmate