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TARP IG Issues Scathing Report

Via ZeroHedge, TARP Inspector General Neil Barofsky issued a scathing 388 page report (PDF). Geithner's Treasury Department catches the brunt:

While SIGTARP offers no opinion on the appropriateness or accuracy of the valuation contained in the Retrospective, we believe that the Retrospective fails to meet basic transparency standards by failing to disclose: (1) that the new lower estimate followed a change in the methodology that Treasury previously used to calculate expected losses on its AIG investment; and (2) that Treasury would be required by its auditors to use the older, and presumably less favorable, methodology in the official audited financials statements. [. . .] This conduct has left the Treasury vulnerable to charges it has manipulated its methodology for calculating losses to present two different numbers depending on its audience [. . .] Here again, Treasury's unfortunate insensitivity to the values of transparency has led it to engage in conduct that risks further damaging public trust in the Government.

(Emphasis supplied.) There's more and worse. A stunning rebuke.

Speaking for me only

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    yep (none / 0) (#1)
    by cpinva on Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 04:37:09 PM EST
    Here again, Treasury's unfortunate insensitivity to the values of transparency has led it to engage in conduct that risks further damaging public trust in the Government

    he might well have added, this conduct, were it practiced by a publicly held entity, would have resulted in that entity's excoriation, by the very same treasury dept.

    when you let the fox guard the henhouse...............

    But but but but but (none / 0) (#2)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 05:36:12 PM EST
    this can't be so, because then Booman will not have been right.

    Can we fire Geithner now?  This should probably do that.  I've noticed that when something like this hits the public's doorstep, Obama fires the named failure.  It looks like it is going to take all my free time tomorrow to sift throught this.

    Can he hire Robert Reich yet?

    Will Reich (none / 0) (#3)
    by Rojas on Mon Oct 25, 2010 at 07:49:30 PM EST
    run interference again?

    Parent
    He's going to have to run (none / 0) (#4)
    by Militarytracy on Tue Oct 26, 2010 at 02:52:21 PM EST
    more than that this time, he going to have to run the ball in.

    Parent
    Duh (none / 0) (#5)
    by sallywally on Tue Oct 26, 2010 at 10:07:50 PM EST
    I haven't kept track. What did he do to run interference?

    Parent