1115.org

Summers Received Hundreds Of Thousands In Speaking Fees From TARP Recipients – Huffington Post (4/3/09):

Barack Obama’s chief economic adviser, Larry Summers, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees last year from firms that have direct financial interests before the government or are intimately involved in the White House’s bank relief programs.

The White House released late Friday the personal financial disclosure forms of many high-ranking administration officials. The document provided for Summers, who serves as one of the president’s closest confidants, underscores just how close some of these officials are to the industry over which they now have oversight.

Among the firms that paid Summers large amounts in speaking fees include J.P. Morgan Chase. That bank offered the former Harvard president and Treasury Secretary $67,500 for a February 1, 2008 engagement. It has received $25 billion in government bailout funds.

Citigroup, which has received $50 billion in taxpayer help, paid Summers $45,000 for a speech in March 2008 and another $54,000 for a speech that May.

Goldman Sachs, which has received $10 million in bailout funds, paid Summers $135,000 for a speech on April 16, 2008 and another $67,500 for a speech on June 18, 2008.

Late Friday document dump? Check.
Top administration official taking vast sums of money from industry he would go on to supervise in office to the detriment of the general welfare? Check.

Are we sure the Bush administration really left office in January? Because this is exactly the kind of situation that would have had “elite” lefty bloggers calling for resignations 2001-2008. Not so much now, it appears.

And after a quick scan of the disclosure form, I couldn’t find any of the automakers listed. Maybe they didn’t get the Summers Protection Rackets, LLC rate card.