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Yellen earned more than $700,000 in speaking fees from Citadel, as recently as last fall. In an ethics agreement she pledged not to involve herself in specific
by A12-B 6y ago
Yellen earned more than $700,000 in speaking fees from Citadel, as recently as last fall. In an ethics agreement she pledged not to involve herself in specific matters involving the firm without first seeking authorization.
Treasury ethics attorneys have given Yellen flexibility to work on any related markets or broad financial services sector issues, with no limits on current or future matters, the Treasury official said. She may need to seek further authorization to deal with specific firms she listed.
In the memo granting Yellen permission to call the meeting of regulators, a Treasury ethics official, Brian Sonfield, said it would be "difficult, if not impossible" for Yellen to recuse herself from matters involving market volatility.
"You are the Secretary of the Treasury, the duties of which require you to be involved in a broad array of matters focused on these sectors," Sonfield wrote.
"Issues relating to these sectors could arise at any time without the opportunity for consultation with the ethics office," and "argue in favor of prior authorization."
source: https://www.streetinsider.com/Reuters/Exclusive%3A+Treasurys+Yellen+calls+top+regulator+meeting+on+GameStop+volatility%2C+consults+ethics+lawyer/17906024.html https://www.streetinsider.com/Reuters/Exclusive%3A+Treasurys...
Do you see the problem? She is so trusted as an expert that people have given her authorisation to involve herself in matters related to firms she just took money from, regardless of the obvious incentives and conflicts of interest. Maybe you don't think those incentives or conflicts are a big deal, in which case I've got a bridge to sell you.
- nojito 6y ago>she pledged not to involve herself in specific matters involving the firm without first seeking authorization. Isn’t seeking a waiver doing just that?
- totalZero 6y agoAgreed. Also, "seeking a waiver" from lawyers who work for you isn't exactly a high bar to clear.
- runako 6y agoI honestly don't see the problem with giving speeches at market rate. If the allegation was that she opened Citadel's books and provided advisory services to them, I would consider that different. But delivering a speech that she may have delivered in other venues does not strike me as necessarily of conflict. I do think the ethics office should review after the fact and raise any concerns that arise, but generally I think we as citizens should be afforded the benefit of her expertise more often than not.
- totalZero 6y agoIf you participate in a business that can impact your decisions as a regulator or policy maker, that's a conflict of interest. The problem isn't the price of the speeches. It's the fact that she got paid that money by someone who has a huge interest in a financial system that she's charged to oversee. > delivering a speech that she may have delivered in other venues does not strike me as necessarily of conflict This argument totally ignores the fact that the conflict of interest arises from the transaction, not from the content of her speech.