Goldman Sachs may be in the government’s cross hairs, but the investment bank’s CEO Lloyd Blankfein has been a regular visitor at the White House in recent months.
Blankfein has made three trips to the White House since October. One two of those occasions, he met privately one on one with Larry Summers, one of the president’s top economic advisers.
On October 30, Blankfein attended a speech in the East Room as part of an audience of 116. He also attended a meeting with President Obama along with 15 other bank CEO’s.
After those two events, Blankfein then met with Summers in the West Wing.
On December 30, 2009, Blankfein traveled to the White House for one reason only: another meeting one on one with Summers.
Then, just last month on March 26, Blankfein was one of 438 invited guests at a Kennedy Center Honors reception in the State room. He also then attended a meeting with Obama along with 13 other bank CEOs.
The meetings with Summers and invitations to the White House are not unusual for big Wall Street CEO’s. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, has also had meetings with Summers, as well as White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
“We meet with leaders from across the private sector on a regular basis to discuss a wide variety of economic issues,” said Summers spokesman Matthew Vogel.
But the meetings show the same thing my piece today as well as a New York Times piece demonstrated: neither party holds a monopoly on close relationships with Wall Street.