As recently as just a few weeks ago, President Obama called massive Wall Street bonuses “obscene,” “the height of irresponsibility” and “shameful,” an “outrage” and a violation “our fundamental values.”
But in an interview published today with Bloomberg Business Week, the president struck a different note.
Asked about the $17 million bonus given to Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co., and the $9 million bonuses going to Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. CEO, the president said, “I know both those guys; they are very savvy businessmen. I, like most of the American people, don’t begrudge people success or wealth. That is part of the free-market system.”
Full story: Wall Street Bonuses President Obama Once Called ‘Obscene’ and ‘Shameful’ Now He Doesn’t Begrudge – Political Punch.