Another Obama Treasury Pick Bites The Dust
Mar 12, 2009 5 Comments ›› Pat Dollard
Treasury loses another pick in vetting process
By Ian Swanson
Another Treasury Department appointee has reportedly dropped out during the tough vetting process.
H. Rodgin Cohen, who was being vetted for deputy Treasury secretary, has pulled his name from the running, according to a report by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. Citing Democratic sources, Stephanopoulos wrote on his blog that Cohen dropped out over an “issue†that came up in the final stages of the vetting process.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is taking on the worst financial crisis in generations with a skeleton staff at his department, where no top aides have been appointed. Annette Nazareth, who was being vetted for the same position, dropped out of the process last week.
Geithner is the only Treasury official listed on his department’s website.
The vacancies could complicate Treasury’s domestic efforts, as well as its work to get international cooperation on solving the global financial crisis.
Obama did announce his intention to fill three key posts at Treasury on March 8. If confirmed, David Cohen would be the department’s assistant secretary on terrorist financing; Alan Krueger would be an assistant secretary on economic policy; and Kim Wallace would serve as assistant secretary for legislative affairs.
All three are now counselors to Geithner, who will be in London on Friday and Saturday for a meeting of international finance ministers.










