Today’s Q for O’s WH — 4/23/2009
EmailTAPPER: This week two different independent nonpartisan government watchdogs have — the Government Accountability Office and the inspector general for TARP — have expressed serious concerns about the amount of — or the lack of oversight into how money is being spent, both stimulus and the toxic assets program, and also TARP and other programs. These are people who do this for a living. They are — they are watchdogs, and they conduct oversight, and they’re saying you guys are not doing enough. And specifically the inspector general for TARP said that the Treasury Department has told them that they will not follow their previous recommendations to demand that the banks account for all the use of TARP funds, set up internal controls to comply with the accounting and report periodically to Treasury on the results with sworn certifications. Why are you — what are you guys going to do to follow these recommendations to conduct as much oversight as they’re recommending?
GIBBS: Well, let me — I’ll ask Treasury for something specific on — on what you mentioned based on what GAO has mentioned. The president — the president is concerned and wants to ensure accountability in the process. I — I will — like I said, I’ll look for a specific answer to what you mentioned there. But I think based on the testimony of Secretary Geithner, there is an inclination among all in the administration to pursue greater transparency and greater accountability. I don’t know about that specifically, but I’ll certainly check.
TAPPER: The inspector general for TARP on Monday testified that — that Treasury has blown off their recommendations that the bank, that they…
GIBBS: I think Secretary Geithner addressed some of that on — I don’t know, I forget whether he was up there Monday or Tuesday. Like I said, they all blur together. I’ll find something specifically on that.
– jpt
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.. they all blur together.. truer words were never spoken.. this is kind of the whole point of this line of questioning.. idiots like me can’t even figure out tarp/talf/omnibus/stimulus.. or find the phantom online gov’t. spending itemizations..
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | April 23, 2009, 3:49 pm 3:49 pm
One of these days, they are going to achieve transparency. They promise.
Jake- did you ever get an answer about whether the deficit reductions they claimed are made primarily of not continuing the war?
Posted by: MayBee | April 23, 2009, 3:57 pm 3:57 pm
Very good question. The answer was not satisfactory. Does Gibbs ever get back to you after he “checks on things?”
Posted by: 7he7th7rumpet | April 23, 2009, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm
Non-partisan comment here – What’s the possibility of Treasury seconding a staff member to the WH Press Office, or given the problem in hiring in Treasury, vice versa? So Bobby Gibbs can stop nattering on, on at least one subject.
Posted by: robert b | April 23, 2009, 4:06 pm 4:06 pm
Glib:Like I said, they all blur together
Translation: we don’t know what in the world we are doing and it has been less than 100 days and everyone now knows it
Posted by: DJ | April 23, 2009, 4:07 pm 4:07 pm
Jake, do you ever get answers for those questions which must be answered at a later time after some research?
Posted by: mad | April 23, 2009, 4:14 pm 4:14 pm
My apologies!! I see others have already asked that question.
Posted by: mad | April 23, 2009, 4:16 pm 4:16 pm
“Like I said, they all blur together.”
This is a popular theme here!
Another telling statement.
Posted by: drjohn | April 23, 2009, 4:22 pm 4:22 pm
“One of these days, they are going to achieve transparency. They promise.”
Maybe they already have. It’s clear they don’t know what they’re doing!
:-)
Posted by: drjohn | April 23, 2009, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
The Taliban is about to get nukes and Obama is focused on getting revenge against the administration that kept us safe for 7 years.
Obama is pathetic in so many ways.
He risks our safety for political points.
Posted by: tommy | April 23, 2009, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
Jake, this is a frequent response as “mad” says. How about a periodic follow-up here with links to each original “I’ll get back to you on that.”?
Posted by: Ed | April 23, 2009, 5:05 pm 5:05 pm
Obama knew there would be no documentation or oversight on the stimulus or TARP… that money was thrown out there so fast, there was no way to oversee it.
There is no transparency before or now in government and that will never change.
Jake as usual, you did an excellent job with your question.
Gibbs as usual, did not answer and did nothing but blubber.
This is one US Debt that will be remembered forever.
Posted by: not sold on obama | April 23, 2009, 5:30 pm 5:30 pm
Why do any of you Care? Half of the GOP from the Great State of Texas want to leave the union.
None of you Republicans have any credibility left.
Tour party is unpatriotic and, disgusting. Totaly lacking in quality leadership.
Posted by: Thinking | April 23, 2009, 5:40 pm 5:40 pm
Thinking, if we leave (can we all fit in Texas??) you and Barack get to keep all the debt
All the banks and companies will reincorporate in the Republic of Texas.
Actually we don’t all have to go to Texas or have a widespread secession. We’ll just declare ourselves citizens of Texas and illegal aliens of the US.
Beginning to like the idea a lot, Thinking.
Posted by: robert b | April 23, 2009, 5:59 pm 5:59 pm
‘Course when the Talibans gets nukes, twern’t gonna matter if we’re Texicans or not, so I reckon you can still count on us to rally at the Alamo and send some troops along our American cousins to where we are needed.
Posted by: robert b | April 23, 2009, 6:02 pm 6:02 pm
Excellent question – I hope you eventually get a good response.
This is why the House’s bipartisan federal whistleblower protection amendment should have never been removed from the Stimulus Bill. Hopefully now the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2009 (H.R. 1507) gets passed soon
Posted by: Robert MacLean | April 23, 2009, 6:25 pm 6:25 pm
All the banks and companies will reincorporate in the Republic of Texas.
Actually we don’t all have to go to Texas or have a widespread secession. We’ll just declare ourselves citizens of Texas and illegal aliens of the US.
Beginning to like the idea a lot, Thinking.
***************************************
You made my point. Unpatriotic and disgusting.
Posted by: Thinking | April 23, 2009, 6:25 pm 6:25 pm
Thinking, you don’t, think, that is. What is our citizenship after all? We are all urged to be global citizens, not to be provincial about our Americanism and now you get hot about complaints about whether our citizens can place limits on our government’s growth, or think about our options.
I’m being funny, Thinking, about leaving. It aint gonna happen, like I said, we have to stand together when the situations in Iran and Pakistan are moving to a head. We built up Navy and Marines to protect against pirates 200 years ago and thats just one reason. Don’t worry we wont leave you alone in Baghdad and Kabul, the “blues” would turn yellow.
Posted by: robert b | April 23, 2009, 6:37 pm 6:37 pm
Geez, Whistleblowers can’t possibly be needed with the One and the Sheriff on the job!!
Posted by: robert b | April 23, 2009, 6:56 pm 6:56 pm
Someone here is weak and confused and most of us are well aware who that is
Sorry once you start the ad hominem argument you get what you ask for
” you Party, disguisting, Asd [posters therfore whatmore ,Tour party, is , Totaly” aint gonna pass a 4th grade spelling exam, even in the South!!
Now the President is a lot smarter than you, a lot smarter. But let’s just see who has credibility in 2012 on – the war on terror, on OUR tax money!!, on the accountability of agencies to do their job.
Posted by: robert b | April 23, 2009, 7:31 pm 7:31 pm
So the GAO and Congress are starting to wonder about accountability? Surely they must know that when bills are passed or laws made, that are not even read, not questioned and not researched that there are undoubtedly crooks waiting, foaming at the mouth in anticipation of easy pickings.
I firmly believe that our Government, from top to bottom, is corrupt and or totally incapable of doing their jobs.
Can we fire them?
Posted by: david | April 23, 2009, 8:52 pm 8:52 pm
This is exactly why we in IT institute the controls in the beginning, before anything else is constructed.
Once the bailout was started (under Bush) without controls, it is extremely hard to clamp them down later on.
Posted by: Flash Override | April 23, 2009, 9:31 pm 9:31 pm
I firmly believe that our Government, from top to bottom, is corrupt and or totally incapable of doing their jobs.
Can we fire them?
—David
What would you expect? Give the Politicians the power to take money from “A” and give to “B”, no matter for what “good” purpose, and “B” will surely corrupt that politician (more).
Posted by: Tom Beebe | April 24, 2009, 8:21 am 8:21 am
Jake – I am curious if Gibbs ever gets to back reporters on items he says he need to check on.
For awhile I thought folks were picking on Gibbs but in reading your daily Q’s for O’s – he clearly is a buffoon. He can not even make complete sentences. How did he get the job?
Posted by: Annemarie | April 24, 2009, 8:55 am 8:55 am
Good convo blogosphere denizons…
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | April 24, 2009, 8:59 am 8:59 am
.. or denizens.. oops
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | April 24, 2009, 9:01 am 9:01 am