Dodd controversy
I just got back from Hartford where I, and a dozen other reporters, met with U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd and his wife Jackie. and they released the long-awaited loan documents related to the refinancing of their two homes back in 2003.
Dodd conceded that much of the controversy, most of it, surrounding the refinancing is own doing. That he could have -- should have -- made the documents public sooner. He then allowed reporterss to review the more than 100-pages. There was no smoking gun to be found.
He also distributed an independent review of his mortgage comission in response to questions raised by the Senate Ethics Committee. The independent auditors reviewed his mortgages and the mortgage marketplace in 2003 and determined the Dodds received no special rate that was not available to anyone else who met their same mortgage qualifications -- and the rate they did receive was compatible to what other lending institutions wer offering at that time.
Jackie acknowledge that she conducted the majority of the negotiations over the refinancing -- not surprising since she is a former banker -- and that she dealt only with loan officers and none in person.
And then the senator apologized to the people of Connecticut for not handling the matter better.
Dodd conceded that much of the controversy, most of it, surrounding the refinancing is own doing. That he could have -- should have -- made the documents public sooner. He then allowed reporterss to review the more than 100-pages. There was no smoking gun to be found.
He also distributed an independent review of his mortgage comission in response to questions raised by the Senate Ethics Committee. The independent auditors reviewed his mortgages and the mortgage marketplace in 2003 and determined the Dodds received no special rate that was not available to anyone else who met their same mortgage qualifications -- and the rate they did receive was compatible to what other lending institutions wer offering at that time.
Jackie acknowledge that she conducted the majority of the negotiations over the refinancing -- not surprising since she is a former banker -- and that she dealt only with loan officers and none in person.
And then the senator apologized to the people of Connecticut for not handling the matter better.
posted by Ray Hackett at 1:00 PM
6 Comments:
Intending no disrespect, did the Senator apologize for the manner in which the loans were made and accepted, or for getting caught and exposed benefiting from the relationship withthe lender that resulted in the loans?
I'm a little weary and wary of people caught with some shade of red handedness who then, and only then, take responsibility' which means very little if anything.
When we were kids, we each had someone in the neighborhood who wanted to grow up to be President. (Now in many neighborhoods, kids just want to be able to grow up.)
But, wry humor aside, where are the adults who should be role models?
Everyone wants to know 'what's in it for me?' and Senator Dodd is another one to whom The Good Lord gave two hands so Chris could help himself--and two pockets to put it all in.
Sometimes shame can be a powerful motivator and force for better behavior. How sad is that?
If there is no smoking gun then why did it take so long to release the documents?
That makes me go humm...
His wife is a former banker?
Hummm…...
But that is small potatoes. Dodd really should resign over the Banking Disaster. It happened under his watch. It was his job to represent our interests in that area and he failed. If Rob Simmons was our senator and he allowed this to happen, the Bulletin would call for his resignation.
You can bet the ranch on that.
Dweeb...there was no special deal or anything that was not available to anyone else in terms of the loan they received.
And John...you really need to pay closer attention...we called for Dodd and Barney Frank to resign from their respective committee chairmanships -- or be replaced -- last November. I'm sure you saw that, but maybe you just forgot because it's easier to criticize.
No, I didn't see that Mr. Hackett as I don't read the Bulletin every day anymore. My bad. I did not notice that baby step.
You guys are improving but on a very small scale. I have noticed. I hope you stay on course even as the 2010 elections approach but I am a skeptic. Prove me wrong.
I did not call for Senator Dodd to resign from his chairmanship; I called for him to resign from the senate all together. He, like his father, has betrayed our trust.
How much of a punishment is it for a local paper to call upon a senator to resign from a committee? --Which he won't do of course.
And even if Dodd does step down as chair, he will just get another chairmanship and God help us if he screws that up too.
Failure should have consequences. Real consequences.
Not pretend consequences.
Frist....you don't have to call me Mr. Hackett....Ray works just fine.
As for opinions...I don't write in an effort to please. I hope that people will find some of points to their liking, but I suspect that there will also be times when they may not.
The difference between you and I, mccommas, is that I'm not of any one mind set. Realizing that you might find this hard to accept, I am neither liberal in my views, nor conservative -- there are somethings that I believe are right, and some that I believe are wrong.
You take a more hard line position -- anything Democratic is wrong, anything Republican is right, anyone who doesn't agree with you 100 percent, and 100 percent of the time, is the enemy.
And then you defeat your whole argument by lashing out and insulting people, making the bigger mistake of assuming you know who they are and what they're doing when in truth you don't know anything at all about anybody -- other than they must be wrong because they don't see it your way.
I actually chuckled at your reference that "we're improving." Why? Because "we're coming around to your point of view?"
I wouldn't call that improvement. But that's just the way I think.
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