Bill Clinton told former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner that nothing would appease the populist “blood lust” for bankers — not even slitting the throat of Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein in a dark alley.
That’s according to a lengthy new article by Andrew Ross Sorkin published online Thursday for the New York Times magazine, which includes interviews with Geithner.
Here’s the relevant excerpt about the former president from Sorkin’s piece:
[Geithner] cheerfully relayed a story that also appears in his book about the time he sought advice from Bill Clinton on how to pursue a more populist strategy: “You could take Lloyd Blankfein into a dark alley,” Clinton said, “and slit his throat, and it would satisfy them for about two days. Then the blood lust would rise again.”
Geithner has a new book titled “Stress Test” that’s set to come out May 12.