Michele Davis, spokeswoman for former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, now emails to say there was no pressure from the White House to keep crucial information about the looming financial crisis from Congress.
“[N]o one at Treasury ever felt in any way constrained by the White House from communicating with the Congress,” she writes.
More adamantly, Tony Fratto, who served as Deputy Press Secretary to President George W. Bush, says Pelosi’s claim is inaccurate. “No one was barred from briefing Congress,” he emails. “Congressional leaders were briefed, at President Bush’s direction, right after he was briefed. It’s pretty clear from every account of that week that Paulson, Bernanke and Geithner were trying to prevent what eventually ensued. As soon as the fallout was clear — and, in fact, in ways no one anticipated (like the money markets breaking the buck), they went first to the President, and then directly to congressional leaders.”
