Extortion
by digby
AIG Financial Products chief Gerry Pasciucco told a meeting of his European based derivatives gurus that the money vortex CEO Ed Liddy’s request that they return their bonuses amounted to “blackmail.” That’s according to a London-based recipient of one of the bonuses — London, you’ll recall, is where the inimitable Joseph Cassano was employed — who furnished the news agency with emails showing that AIG compliance officer David Haig had actually asked the country’s Serious Organised Crime Agency to probe whether the (voluntary) requests could be legally considered extortion. Well what a fascinating use of government-bankrolled hours for the taxpayers of both countries!! But wait, don’t shoot yourself, hear the anonymous employee out…
“The vast majority of people in London have made the decision that the request is pretty offensive,” the employee said. “It effectively constitutes blackmail whether it is criminal or not. There is no moral reason to give it back
It’s tempting to rant again about Ayn Rand and her bizarre concept of capitalist morality, but I have to admit that even she would probably be appalled at someone like this considering himself to be a heroic entrepreneur. After all, there is nothing more “parasitic” than those AIGFP playahs.
I have to admit that it’s really rich that the people the president describes like this:
It’s almost like they’ve got — they’ve got a bomb strapped to them and they’ve got their hand on the trigger. You don’t want them to blow up. But you’ve got to kind of talk them, ease that finger off the trigger.”
… are carping about being extorted. Nobody can ever accuse these people of lacking brass.
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