Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein has hired high-profile D.C. defense attorney Reid Weingarten as federal officials continue investigating Goldman’s role in the financial crisis, Reuters reports.
The news service reported that it wasn’t clear if Blankfein could face charges personally:
One former federal prosecutor, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said Blankfein may have hired outside counsel after receiving a request from investigators for documents or other information.
The Senate report raised questions about inconsistencies between testimony from Blankfein and other Goldman executives to Congress and emails unearthed in the Senate investigation. The subcommittee’s chairman, Senator Carl Levin, has said the question of whether Blankfein and others committed perjury is up to the relevant federal agencies.
The former prosecutor cautioned that perjury cases were difficult to prove, adding that prosecutors would not bring charges unless they had a “rock solid case.”
Weingarten has represented clients from WorldCom, Enron and GlaxoSmithKline in criminal cases. He told AmericanLawyer.com in May that he’s “used to monstrously difficult cases where everybody hates my clients.”
