Given a chance to issue a press release, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today asked the federal government to block the payment of $100 million in so-called retention bonuses to those AIG Financial Services employees in Wilton.
Blumenthal sent a letter to federal Special Master Kenneth Feinberg, who has jurisdiction over executive compensation at bailed-out companies.
“I am writing to urge you to prohibit AIG from paying $100 million in employee bonuses,” Blumenthal said in a follow-up news release. “AIG still reportedly owes federal taxpayers $124 billion — and should therefore be barred from company from paying a penny of bonus until it repays its massive loan.”
Blumenthal, you recall, is running for the US Senate seat being vacated by Chris Dodd, who will live forever as “Doodles” among certain state Capitol reporters.
Anyway, the Blogster just got a call from Gary Phelan, a Stamford attorney with the New York firm of Outten & Golden, representing some AIG employees. “They are clearly entitled to it under Connecticut law,” he said. “Under the Connecticut Wage Statute, AIG is clearly obligated to make these retention payments. It is also an enforceable contract under Connecticut contract law. Attorney General Blumenthal makes no attempt to explain – because he can’t – that these payments should not be made in March.”
Some AIG employees collected $100 million in bonuses today as part of a reduced-benefits deal where they took 10 percent-to-20-percent less than they were entitled under their retention contracts. An additional $136 million is scheduled to be doled out in March.
Ken Dixon write that “Chris Dodd…will live forever as ‘Doodles’ among certain state Capitol reporters.”
“Doodles”? How dare you denigrate Senator Dodd like that, Mr. Dixon. Just who do you think you are to slap cheap epithets like that onto a man who has served this state for three decades in the Senate of the United States. “Doodles”? If memory serves, you came up with that appelation to slime Senator Dodd for his romantic life while he was divorced and single. Just what nickname do you think your fellow journalists or the elected leaders about whom you report would come up with to describe you, Mr. Dixon?
You are supposed to be an objective reporter on the political developments in this state and Connecticut’s elected leaders. Who do you think you are to engage in this sort of slimy ad hominem attack?
But why should anyone be surprised that you would engage in this sort of sleazy personal insult against elected officials when you actually suggested that “hanging lawmakers” was a “bright idea”, and you described those political leaders who objected to your suggestion to commit violence as “guilty”? And why should anyone be surprised at that level of personal attack journalism when you wrote three times in print and on your blog that you wanted to see Senator Dodd commit suicide by crawling out onto an ice flow on the Haddam River?
Oh, just curious, Mr. Dixon, but have you ever apologized personally or in print for accusing Senator Dodd of receiving favors from Countrywide Financial? You have to know that the bipartisan Senate Ethics Committee cleared Senator Dodd of any hint of wrongdoing months ago, and found unequivocally that he didn’t receive a single cent in benefits from the mortgage loans he took out. Did you have the decency to retract your accusations or call Senator Dodd to apologize for your false and unfair accusations?
I didn’t think so. “Doodles”, indeed.
Comment by Sean — February 5th, 2010 @ 10:38 am