Politics

Bill Clinton’s Graphic Advice To Tim Geithner During The Financial Crisis

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
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When Tim Geithner sought Bill Clinton’s political wisdom during the financial crisis, he got an earful.

The New York Times’ Andrew Ross Sorkin penned a lengthy profile of Geithner for the New York Times magazine, which went online Thursday. In it, Geithner explains how he asked Clinton for political advice as the public was skewering him for his handling of the financial crisis when he served as treasury secretary.

“At another point, [Geithner] cheerfully relayed a story that also appears in his book about the time he sought advice from Bill Clinton on how to pursue a more populist strategy,” Sorkin writes. “‘You could take Lloyd Blankfein into a dark alley,’ Clinton said, ‘and slit his throat, and it would satisfy them for about two days. Then the blood lust would rise again.'”

Fortunately for the Goldman Sachs CEO, Geithner opted to take Clinton’s advice and not publicly slit Blankfein’s throat for a short two-day political reprieve.

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