That’s One Way To Do It
This is an interesting strategy to shrug off the “Government Sachs” moniker:
Goldman Sachs is launching an aggressive response to its political and legal challenges with an unlikely ally at its side — President Barack Obama’s former White House counsel, Gregory Craig.The beleaguered Wall Street bank hired Craig — now in private practice at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom — in recent weeks to help in navigate the halls of power in Washington, a source familiar with the firm told POLITICO.
Just a revolving door in DC.
April 20, 2010 9:13 am
Posted in: Assholes, Goldman Sachs
26 Comments
26 Responses
mr. whipple - April 20, 2010 | 9:18 am · Link
Lanny Davis must be fuming. Beat to the GS trough.
Paul W. - April 20, 2010 | 9:19 am · Link
This is just revenge for being pushed out by the Obama administration, his inner angels are just letting his dark side rule for however long a few million lasts in terms of billable hours.
Face - April 20, 2010 | 9:25 am · Link
What does a lawyer charge such a obviously disgustingly rich organization? $5K/hr? $10K/hr? Do they have the balls to go $20K/hr?
mai naem - April 20, 2010 | 9:25 am · Link
Anybody remember the guy who worked in the WH and went to lobby in the Senate and we were told that there was nothing that the WH could do because it was only the WH lobbying they could control. Ofcourse with Craig they are going to say he’s not lobbying, he’s working as a lawyer. Whatevah… I can already hear McConnell, Corker et al ‘Whatever happened to the most ethical administration blah blah blah…
Also too, kind of OT but not really, do the Republicans consider the FDIC a bailout fund? I want to see Dem candidates asking that of Repub candidates. Scott Brown needs to be asked that. Meg Whitman needs to be asked that. I am sure those IndyMac customers don’t consider the FDIC a bankers bailout fund.
mai naem - April 20, 2010 | 9:27 am · Link
@Face: Being that GS made more than 15 mil. off just pushing the paperwork I think the lawyers will get much more than 15 mil whatever that ends up working out per hour.
rootless-e - April 20, 2010 | 9:31 am · Link
But but but, Marcy Wheeler explained that Craig was a mountain of integrity who was attacked by Rabid Dog Rahm
http://emptywheel.firedoglake......-campaign/
beltane - April 20, 2010 | 9:31 am · Link
Didn’t Chelsea Clinton marry into a Goldman Sachs family?
Expect the media to be supportive of the vampire squid in its time of need. Most A-list journalists are firmly entrenched in the ruling class, and limit their social contacts to this crowd. Lobbyists, politicians, journalists and investment bankers are a tight-knit circle that eat, drink and fornicate with each other. We are doomed.
homerhk - April 20, 2010 | 9:42 am · Link
First, if Craig now works for a private law firm (which he does apparently), it’s not up to the White House or the administration to prevent him from doing work (unless of course there is a material conflict of interest) for anyone.
Second, weren’t all the FDLers bemoaning Craig’s departure from the Obama administration since he was the only honest man there? GG did a whole screed about how Bob Bauer was the ultimate beltway insider, I seem to recall. Do you think he’ll do a mea culpa about this (even tho, to me it’s no big deal)?
ericvsthem - April 20, 2010 | 9:42 am · Link
@rootless-e: Was thinking the same thing. It will be interesting to see how the “Show Me on the Doll Where Rahm Touched You” kids are going to reconcile their defense of Craig’s integrity while he was WH General Council with his new gig as Satan’s embassador.
Michael - April 20, 2010 | 9:45 am · Link
OT, but here’s a little sumpin’ sumpin’ for voyeurs who may want to watch Frank Gaffney blow Ed Meese.
Here’s a taste:
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/22172
John PM - April 20, 2010 | 9:45 am · Link
I must have misunderstood. GS needs help navigating the halls of power? What, did the thousands of former (and future) GS employees in the federal government suddenly resign?
The most I have ever heard of a lawyer charging per hour is $1,000, which would be a bargain to GS. Lawyers working for these companies need to start charging GS prices.
kay - April 20, 2010 | 9:50 am · Link
@ericvsthem:
I have another question.
How did the fact that Holder hired 9 of the lawyers who did excellent defense work on behalf of detainees, at great political risk, ever square with the “Holder is a passive tool of RahmBama” theme?
Holder hired them. In addition, those 9 lawyers went to work voluntarily for Eric Holder at Justice, and the pay isn’t great.
How did that fact manage to get cordoned off from the Holder Narrative?
It’s not like we didn’t discuss the former defense lawyers who went to work at Justice. How does that fact square with the rest?
rootless-e - April 20, 2010 | 9:56 am · Link
@ericvsthem:
Obvious: Rahm got to him.
Rahm pinned a struggling Craig to the operating room table in the Fannie Mae office while Timmy pounded a Goldman Sachs controller module into Craig’s head using Rahm’s dick as the hammer while Craig piteously cried out for Jane and Grover to save him.
jurassicpork - April 20, 2010 | 9:57 am · Link
Yet Yahoo News tells us these bloated ticks made $3.3 billion in 1Q.
Comrade Mary - April 20, 2010 | 10:02 am · Link
So if Rahm is The Hammer, is Craig Dr. Horrible or is he Penny?
Linda Featheringill - April 20, 2010 | 10:16 am · Link
Oligarchy.
We are probably stuck with this for my lifetime.
Toni - April 20, 2010 | 10:18 am · Link
@ericvsthem: They will just ignore that because it doesn’t fit their narrative.
demo woman - April 20, 2010 | 10:29 am · Link
A friend just called and her credit card was declined. She called the bank and was told that a donation to Barack Obama caused a fraud alert. This is the second time it happened to her in the last two weeks. Has anyone else had a problem with their credit cards being flagged after liberal donations?
SGEW - April 20, 2010 | 10:31 am · Link
@Comrade Mary: Moist.
kay - April 20, 2010 | 10:37 am · Link
@demo woman:
I don’t know, but I just had an acquaintance in here who successfully negotiated a mortgage modification, all by herself, and kept her house. She brought me the notice of dismissal of the foreclosure action because she didn’t know what it was, and she said “is this some Obama thing?”
I was tempted to tell her “Yes. Barack Obama did that”.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ - April 20, 2010 | 10:38 am · Link
@rootless-e:
Coming to theaters near you, June 2011. Check your local listings for showtimes and special offers…
Nick - April 20, 2010 | 10:43 am · Link
I notice not a peep about this from the crazies at FDL.
Brian J - April 20, 2010 | 11:14 am · Link
This doesn’t bother me that much, because it’s not a regulatory position where he will be making and/or enforcing the rules. Yes, he worked in the White House, but he wasn’t at a government agency. There’s a big difference, I imagine.
On the other hand, this bothers me a lot more:
How anyone can excuse this is beyond me.
bob h - April 20, 2010 | 11:24 am · Link
No matter who GS hires, and no matter how brilliantly they execute their legal strategy, the problem is that their actions simply do not pass the smell test with ordinary Americans. GS should have settled out of court with no admission of guilt when they had the option.
Comrade Dread - April 20, 2010 | 12:16 pm · Link
What? I’m sure they’re only hiring him for his great legal mind and not at all for his Washington connections and friendships that a less ethical person would exploit for political favor and gain.
Because free market capitalists would never think of trying to turn the government to their advantage. Your baseless suspicions that we’d even do something so ‘soshalist’ is going to drive us out of the United States over to Galtavania.
Or it would, if anyone in Galtavania knew how to pave roads, build houses, install a sewage system, or farm.
ricky - April 20, 2010 | 6:53 pm · Link
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Where I live there is a practicing urlogist named Dick Chopp.
But this is the funniest name I have seen in some time.