This clip is the highlight version and runs approximately 6 minutes.
Full interview from Kashkari's visit to the Charlie Rose Show.
Former Assistant Treasury Secretary and head of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) under Paulson, Neel Kashkari made a recent appearance on the Charlie Rose Show. It's an excellent discussion and summary of the financial crisis as it has unfolded over the past 18 months.
Personally, Kashkari comes across as sincere, honest and intelligent. I don't agree with some of his bailout views, but I respect that men and women of his intelligence and dedication sacrifice higher pay in favor of civil service and the greater good. Obviously, a difficulty can arise, or appear to, when there is a revolving door between public-and-private sector employment with respect to an industry that is receiving trillions in government aid.
While Kashkari migrated to Treasury from Goldman Sachs and will likely return now that he has completed his tenure in Washington, it's not credible to believe it was a part of some sinister plot. When Kashkari left GS in 2006 it was not clear to most observers (including GS execs) that a financial crisis of centurion proportions lay ahead. I believe he simply wanted the challenge. He's not an elitist by any stretch of a Goldman standard. Undergrad at the University of Illinois in engineering and then several years with an aerospace company before joining GS in San Fran.
Accordingly, I'll leave it to others to judge him. He'll be okay with us as long as we don't hear he had anything to do with AIG CDS payouts at par. That decision is kryptonite.
Clips are after the loop.