Just a point of clarification: These were not bonuses. The AIGFP division is going to be shut down as soon as all of the CDS risk is off the books. Selected employees contractually agreed to stay on to finish the job since they had the knowledge and expertise necessary to wind down the book of business in the most efficient and expeditious manner. AIG, last February (2008), agreed to compensate them on 3/15/09 provided their work was satisfactory. At the appointed time, over half of the $2.7 Trillion exposure had been wiped out and AIG dutifully paid them as they were contractually obligated to do. AIG dutifully advised the Fed, as they were required to do, in several filings prior to and since the TARP and "bailout" loans. Nothing was done underhandedly. This, my friends, is a creation of the media and politicians. It's much ado about nothing.
That's your evidence? Another assumption. Pardon me, but so what? They are all private newspapers trying to find a story. It's no surprise that the Times is a better paper. The Duke Lacrosse students had charges dropped and justice was done. Governor Siegelman was convicted by a Federal Jury and March 6th 2009 the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld key bribery, conspiracy and obstruction counts against Siegelman and refused his request for a new trial finding no evidence that the conviction was unjust. Justice was also done Overzealous prosecution may exist, but criminal indictments are delivered by a Grand Jury of citizens and defendants get their day in court to refute the charges. Kerik is accused of illegal bribes, hiring illegal aliens, taking part in tax fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, ethics violations, and perjury. If he was innocent, why did he resign? Why did he plead guilty to two ethics violations? Oh . . . research. Hey, that's a good idea . . . And what has become of this complaint, eh? For the sake of argument, let's say this turns out to be true. How does it invalidate all of the other evidence presented to the Grand Jury? According to the Indictment, Kerik conspired with others to deprive the City of New York by receiving benefits (totaling $255,000) from a company seeking to do business with the City AND concealing those benefits by failing to disclose them as required on financial disclosure reports Kerik filed with the City. His receipt of the benefits and his actions on behalf of the company occurred while Kerik was the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Corrections, and his acts of concealment occurred while he held the post of New York City Police Commissioner. The Indictment also charges Kerik with impeding the Internal Revenue Service and with multiple counts of false tax returns in connection with his failure to declare the value of the above benefits as income, his failure to report as income approximately $236,000 in rent payments for a Manhattan apartment, which payments were made by a Manhattan developer with whom Kerik had agreed to conduct business, his failure to report approximately $75,000 in income received from a book publisher, his taking of approximately $80,000 in phony charitable deductions, his failure to report approximately $20,000 in income received from a computer software company, his failure to report wages paid to a domestic employee, and his taking of a false home office expense deduction in connection with a home in New Jersey when he was not yet living in that home. The Indictment also charges the defendant with making multiple false statements to the White House and other federal officials in connection with his application for positions as advisor to the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council and in connection with his nomination to be Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The Indictment charges that when Kerik was being vetted for these positions, he made numerous false statements including failing to disclose as required, and affirmatively misrepresenting, his relationship with the contractors or the fact of the payments, failing to disclose as required that he had submitted false financial disclosure reports to New York City (and that he had committed a crime by doing so), failing to disclose as required that he had made false statements on a loan application and that he had committed a crime by doing so, failing to disclose as required a $250,000 loan that he had taken from a Brooklyn businessman who, in turn, had obtained the funds from an Israeli industrialist who did business with the U.S. Government, and falsely stating that he had no household employees on a regular basis, and that he had not failed to withhold appropriate taxes for any such employee. Kerik faces, if convicted, a maximum aggregate sentence of 142 years of imprisonment and $4,750,000 in fines. The Indictment also seeks forfeiture of the proceeds of the conspiracy crime in the amount of $255,000. Of course, the charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Interesting points, but what you have done(and I am guilty of it myself many times over) is given Red a nice tangent to go sailing of on that completely ignores the thrust of this thread. A thread that contains several facts about Geitner, Dodd, congress, and Obama. Facts he must ignore commenting on because there is no defense of what is happening. His only move is to divert back to the Bush admin. I suggest you stop serving up the meatballs.
You follow me from thread to thread changing the discussion from the topic at hand to a personal criticism of me. Whatever your problem is, why don't you grow up and get past it. No one is forcing you to read anything here. If you don't like a conversation, then find yourself another thread. I am now putting you on ignore. Anyone that gets angry and carries grudges against an anonymous internet character needs serious help. If you want to keep boring the others with more cheap shots at Red, have at it, but I will neither see it nor care. So why don't you just put me on your ignore list, too. I'm sure that everyone would appreciate it.
I comment on threads that interest me Red and you commonly take a side I disagree with. My last post pointed out a tangential discussion in this very thread and made a suggestion to another poster. Of course, any criticism of your point of view or tactics is seen by you as a personal attack. I notice you fall back on that whenever your tactics/arguments run their course. If you can't set and steer the agenda, then it is a personal attack? Whatever dude. By all means, put me on ignore. It's not like you disputed anything to do with the topic at hand. I would rather discuss Geitner, congress and Obama. Something you seem wholly unable to do.
