Follow-up: Mark Levin Carries and Comments on Part of WJR Beckmann-Lauria Interview

Listen:

Here’s most of what Levin aired (bold is mine):

Levin: I want you to listen to their lawyer (for a group of lenders who objected to the Chrysler deal Obama was attempting to impose), and I want you to listen, and I want you to contrast (this) with the public Obama, how he look, smiles, talks, how he handles himself, and carries himself, and what goes on behind the scenes …. the mob-like tactics that are used against law-abiding private citizens. This is stunning. I want you to listen to this ….

(begin interview excerpt)

Frank Beckmann, WJR talk show host: So what’s the matter with your vulture clients who are so greedy and selfish. Why won’t they go along with this?

Tom Lauria, lawyer for Non-TARP lenders: Well, they bought a contract that says that they get paid before anyone else does by Chrysler. And they have been told by the government who is in complete control of Chrysler, oddly enough, that despite their contractual right, they do not get paid before everyone else.

So they are standing on their rights, standing on the law, trying to defend in effect what is the Constitution of the United States, to make sure that they get what they’re entitled to for their investors.

Beckmann: Tom, let me make the argument against you in another way. We’ve heard the President say this, “I wouldn’t want to stand on their side.” Ron Gettelfinger says “Everyone else has made concessions. These people won’t; they’re greedy.” Why not take a concession that is being asked of everybody else and is being accepted by everybody else, including other hedge funds that had bought some of these bonds in Chrysler?

Lauria: Well that’s a great question, because let me tell you it’s no fund standing on this side of the fence opposing the President of the United States. In fact, let me just say, people have asked me who I represent, and that’s a moving target.

I can tell you for sure that I represent one less investor today than I represented yesterday. One of my clients was directly threatened by the White House, and in essence compelled to withdraw its opposition to the deal under threat that the full force of the White House press corps would destroy its reputation if it continued to fight. That’s how hard it is to stand on this side of the fence.

Beckmann: Was that Perella Weinberg?

Lauria: That was Perella Weinberg.

(end interview excerpt)

Levin: Did you hear that folks?

where private citizens and private entities are being threatened, and smeared, and intimidated?

….. Now I want to ask Brian Ross at ABC News while he’s outing patriots who worked with the CIA to protect this nation. Is he going to pursue this story?

I want to ask George Stephanopoulos at ABC’s This Week. I know these aren’t the talking points handed to him by the White House. Is he going to pursue this story?

Bob Schieffer, somebody wake him up …. How about David Gregory? ….

Somebody needs to pursue what’s going on in the White House behind the scenes, and stop playing games and making nice. American citizens, whatever walk of life they’re in, should not be threatened by the White House. (They) should not be told, “We’re going to drag you through the mud with the White House press corps.” So confident is the White House that they have the White House press corps wrapped around their little finger. ….

…. Do you know how much of this must be going on in the shadows, with the banks and the financial systems? What must be going on with one business after another, threatening them, warning them, punishing them? We’ve got a little mob activity going on in that Oval Office, ladies and gentlemen, a little mob activity.

More than a little.

Yes, the mob activity began with Hank Paulson, who opened the door to this and never should have. Now it’s in overdrive, and on steroids.

_______________________________________________________

Previous Posts:

• May 1 — Lawyer for Chrysler’s Non-TARP Lenders on the Law, and White House Threats (includes reference to White House denial made to Jake Tapper)
• April 30 — Press Release From Chrysler’s Non-TARP Lenders: The Day the Rule of Contract Law Died?