Looks like the putative head of the CIA received a ton of money in "consulting fees". Besides wondering if he paid his taxes, one should take a gander at who paid some of these fees.

Mr. Panetta received $56,000 from Merrill Lynch & Co. for two speeches and $28,000 for an Oct. 30, 2008 speech for Wachovia Corp. Both firms suffered big losses last year and were acquired by larger banks. The Wachovia honorarium was on Oct 30 of last year while the last Merrill Lynch honorarium was on Oct. 11, according to disclosure forms filed by Mr. Panetta in connection with his nomination. At the time, Bank of America had already agreed to a rescue of Merrill Lynch, while Wachovia had agreed to be acquired by Wells Fargo & Co.

Mr. Panetta also received a $28,000 honorarium from the Carlyle Group, which owns a number of companies that do business with the national security agencies of the U.S. government.

Mr. Panetta is set to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee Thursday about his nomination.

Mr. Panetta is a former Congressman from central California who served as White House chief of staff under President Bill Clinton. A White House spokesman for Mr. Panetta didn't immediately respond to inquiries about the disclosures.

Mr. Panetta also reported receiving a $60,000 "Governmental Advisor Fee" from the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the shipping industry. The group lobbies the federal government regarding terrorism laws that affect shipping. A spokesman for the association didn't respond to a request for comment.

Posted by: eddiebear at 04:38 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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