By DemocracyRules
Unqualified home buyers were not the only ones who benefited from Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frankâs efforts to deregulate Fannie Mae throughout the 1990s.
So did Frankâs partner, a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agencyâs push to relax lending restrictions.
Now that Fannie Mae is at the epicenter of a financial meltdown that threatens the U.S. economy, some are raising new questions about Frank's relationship with Herb Moses, who was Fannieâs assistant director for product initiatives. Moses worked at the government-sponsored enterprise from 1991 to 1998, while Frank was on the House Banking Committee, which had jurisdiction over Fannie.
Both Frank and Moses assured the Wall Street Journal in 1992 that they took pains to avoid any conflicts of interest. Critics, however, remain skeptical.
"Itâs absolutely a conflict," said Dan Gainor, vice president of the Business & Media Institute. "He was voting on Fannie Mae at a time when he was involved with a Fannie Mae executive. How is that not germane?"
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"Enough to gag a maggot."
Pro Patria

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