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Senator asks about firings of watchdogs
Chicago Tribune ^ | June 18, 2009 | Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten

Posted on 06/18/2009 7:58:37 PM PDT by Sons of Union Vets

WASHINGTON - -- He was appointed with fanfare as the public watchdog over the government's multi-billion dollar bailout of the nation's financial system. But now Neil Barofsky is embroiled in a dispute with the Obama administration that delayed one recent inquiry and sparked questions about his ability to freely investigate.

The disagreement stems from a claim by the Treasury Department that Barofsky is not entirely independent of the agency he is assigned to examine ¿ a claim that has prompted a stern letter from a Republican senator warning that agency officials are encroaching on the integrity of an office created to protect taxpayers.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R- Iowa, sent the letter Wednesday to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner demanding information about a "dispute over certain Treasury documents" that he said were being "withheld" from Barofsky's office on a "specious claim of attorney-client privilege."

A White House spokesman declined to comment, referring questions to the Treasury Department. Treasury spokesman Andrew Williams said late Wednesday that the agency would read Grassley's letter and respond to the senator before any public comment.

(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Iowa
KEYWORDS: barovsky; grassley; inspectorsgeneral

1 posted on 06/18/2009 7:58:37 PM PDT by Sons of Union Vets
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To: Sons of Union Vets

Thou shalt not question (or investigate) The One


2 posted on 06/18/2009 8:01:01 PM PDT by reg45 (Be calm everyone. The idiot children are in charge!)
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To: Sons of Union Vets

Obama does not want any oversight of the tax dollars that are being laundered to Democratic organizations and campaigns.


3 posted on 06/18/2009 8:05:33 PM PDT by Always Right (Obama: more arrogant than Bill Clinton, more naive than Jimmy Carter, and more liberal than LBJ.)
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To: Sons of Union Vets

Is Grassley one of the Republican Senators 0bama had gone out of his way to praise in the past?


4 posted on 06/18/2009 8:06:18 PM PDT by counterpunch (In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.)
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To: Always Right

Doesn’t matter if it’s 2009 or 2017...a number of Democrat players are going to prison. You might as well start preparing for this era of investigation after investigation. I had issues with the way that the Bush administration functioned, but this mess is twice as bad.


5 posted on 06/18/2009 8:08:04 PM PDT by pepsionice
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To: Sons of Union Vets

Ah, yes, the most transparent government since Carter...


6 posted on 06/18/2009 8:09:06 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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To: Sons of Union Vets; All

The comments at the ChiTrib are priceless. They’ve got to be running over 90% negative on Obama.....and that’s his hometown paper!


7 posted on 06/18/2009 8:10:50 PM PDT by St. Louis Conservative
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To: Sons of Union Vets

Senator initially, now its senators....

As I have asked the last few days on this:
Holder, the man charged in upholding the laws of this land, is where exactly on this matter?


8 posted on 06/18/2009 8:11:35 PM PDT by cranked
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To: Sons of Union Vets

Obama was and is a Chicago pol, steeped and schooled in the abject, peculiar corruption that is endemic to that Democrat-controlled city. It was insane for anyone to think he would be committed to uncovering and excising curruption that benefits his constituents and clients.


9 posted on 06/18/2009 8:16:44 PM PDT by behzinlea
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To: Sons of Union Vets

Getting rid of the ones that are doing a good job.


10 posted on 06/18/2009 8:25:53 PM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote.)
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To: Sons of Union Vets

We have entered into an era of thug’ocracy


11 posted on 06/18/2009 8:36:00 PM PDT by LiteKeeper (When do the impeachment proceedings begin?)
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To: reg45

Correction: The Won


12 posted on 06/18/2009 8:46:09 PM PDT by savedbygrace (You are only leading if someone follows. Otherwise, you just wandered off... [Smokin' Joe])
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To: Marysecretary

I think Obama’s “transparency” rhetoric holds true.
He and his motives are TOTALLY transparent to me.


13 posted on 06/18/2009 9:31:52 PM PDT by supremedoctrine ( YOUR AD IN THIS SPACE)
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To: supremedoctrine

Yes, ME, TOO! LOL.


14 posted on 06/19/2009 2:45:29 PM PDT by Marysecretary (GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!)
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