PRESS RELEASE
LaRouche's EIR
Puts White House Up Against the Wall
On Glass-Steagall Legislation
May 17, 2010 (EIRNS)—White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs received a one-two punch at today's White House Briefing, over the White House's sabotage of the Glass-Steagall legislation now pending before the Senate. EIR founder Lyndon LaRouche is leading a national mobilization demanding the passage of the McCain-Cantwell amendment (calling for a return to FDR's Glass-Steagall) to the Dodd bill, which is now being debated by the Senate, as vital to the survival of the U.S. and the international economy under current conditions of global breakdown crisis.
The interchange with Gibbs, which featured EIR's Bill Jones and the Dean of the White House press corps, Helen Thomas, has already been picked up by numerous blogs.
Jones started off the exchange from the moment Gibbs entered the room. Not finding a seat in the "questions answered" section of the Press Room, Jones, from the side of the room, started in on Gibbs right when he got to the podium.
Gibbs: Good afternoon. Chuck, take us away.
Chuck Todd (ABC): Okay, thank you—
EIR: (breaking in on Todd) Robert, why is the White House pressuring Democrats to back off from the Cantwell-McCain attempt to bring back Glass-Steagall?
Gibbs: I don't have anything on that.
EIR: Why is it opposed to Glass-Steagall?
Todd: (somewhat crestfallen) Robert—
EIR: Why is the White House opposed to it?
Gibbs: I'm sorry?
EIR: Is the White House opposed to re-establishing Glass-Steagall?
Gibbs: I don't have any information on the amendment. I'm happy to look at it.
Gibbs recovered his composure somewhat from this unwanted intrusion of reality, after a few questions, until he came to Helen Thomas, the Dean of White House Press Corps, who was well aware of the fight going on over the Glass-Steagall bill. After a back-and-forth with Gibbs on how Obama's foreign policy differed from Bush's in Afghanistan, Thomas lit into him for his non-response to EIR's question.
Thomas: And one other question. Why don't you know your position on Glass-Steagall, in view of the economy?
Gibbs: I don't have any information on the amendment that might come up.
Thomas: That's to take care of all the bankers in the Treasury Department.
Gibbs: I'm sorry?
Thomas: I said, why do they have such a dominance of bankers in the Treasury?
Gibbs: Well, I think, based on what the Treasury Department is doing on financial reform and the way that banks are fighting us, I'm not sure that the two—I'm not sure that statement actually lines up with what's going on in terms of financial reform right now.
