By David Segal – In Rhode Island’s Future. See more at: http://www.rifuture.org/will-raimondo-return-all-her-jp-morgan-cash.html#sthash.5McgGo1q.dpuf
JP Morgan looks close to settling with the Justice Department, says the New York Times.
JPM would pay $13 billion in penalties that follow from the
bank’s shady mortgage lending, which helped to precipitate the financial crisis
and make the lives of tens of millions of people completely miserable. It
would be the largest fine that a company has ever paid in a settlement with
DOJ, but surely doesn’t go far
enough.
Rhode Island was, of course, hit disproportionately hard by the
financial crisis and the mortgage fraud that fomented it. You might think
that this would make local pols want to steer clear of association with the
people and corporations who did all that terrible stuff to the Rhode Island
electorate — but then you’d be wrong.
Well, I don’t know! Because I spent an hour
or so counting them yesterday afternoon and then had to get back to doing some
real work. (Namely, this book salon over at firedoglake about
that book I wrote/edited about
the SOPA fight.)
Somebody should keep on looking, or maybe I’ll find more
time to later. Just go over here and
search the filings for the word “morgan”.
But here’s a partial list of what I dug up during a skim of just
a few of her most recent campaign finance filings. These are not bank
tellers, mind you: Bank tellers are fine people. These are not fine
people: These are the people who lead/led the company that’s on the verge of
having the biggest settlement ever with the DOJ, because they engaged in rampant
mortgage fraud and helped destroy our economy and the livelihoods of tens of
millions of people. Especially in Rhode Island.
And they love Gina Raimondo and are bankrolling her political
career!
- Jill Bickstein, Managing Director for Corporate Responsibility (sic)
- Cheryl Black, Managing Director
- Kelly Coffey, head of Diversified Industries Investment Banking
- Martha Gallo, Chief Compliance Office
- Eric Gioia, Vice President of J.P Morgan Chase’s private bank
- Karen Keough, chief state lobbyist
- E John Rosenwald, Vice Chairman Emeritus
- Peter Scher, Head of Corporate Responsibility (sic)
- Emily Seizer, Vice President for international affairs
- Richard Smith, Vice President
If politicians are expected to return funds taken years
ago from an insurance fraudster who cost his victims a few tens
of millions of dollars, then shouldn't the same standard certainly apply to
money from bankers who've helped cost the American economy several trillion dollars
over the last 5-6 years?
Reporters should consider asking if Raimondo will give back the
money that she took from these people and their associates. (Really,
somebody please at least tweet the
question at her a few times.
I don’t think she’ll respond
to me.)