US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Monday slammed the "sad little stories" of a new book that has exposed the White House''s economic team to embarrassing scrutiny at a key political moment. Excerpts from "Confidence Men," by Ron Suskind, billed as "a hidden history of Wall Street and the White House," claimed Geithner and others sometimes dawdled in carrying out President Barack Obama''s orders on the economic crisis.
"I haven''t read this book, but, to borrow a phrase, I lived the reality," Geithner told reporters at the White House. "And the reports I''ve read about this book bear no resemblance to the reality we lived together." Geithner also took exception to a supposed White House memo reported by Suskind that complained that he and other officials had performed a "slow roll" on implementing Obama''s instructions. "I would never do that. I''ve spent my life in public service. It''s my great privilege to serve this president. And I would never contemplate doing that.
"I lived the original, and the reality I lived, we all lived together, bears no relation to the sad little stories I heard reported from that book." "Confidence Men," which is published on Tuesday, tells the story of the tense days in 2009 when a new president fought to stave off a second Great Depression.
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