Sanders blocks Obama Treasury nominee

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he will vote against confirmation of Antonio Weiss to be undersecretary of domestic finance at the Treasury Department.

“The Wall Street crash of 2008, caused by the greed and illegal behavior of major financial institutions, created the worst recession in modern history,” Sanders said. “We need an economic team at the White House which will hold Wall Street accountable and fight for the needs of working families, not more Wall Street executives.”

{mosads}Sanders suggested President Obama withdraw the nomination because Weiss was a Wall Street investment banker whose firm helps clients avoid paying U.S. taxes by hiding money in offshore accounts.

“The American people are disgusted with Wall Street bankers who find loopholes in the tax code to help profitable companies shelter profits in offshore tax havens in order to avoid paying their fair share of U.S. taxes,” Sanders said. “We need economists in government who have a history of helping to create jobs, not helping corporations avoid taxes.”

Sanders has voted against several nominees to financial agencies, including former Treasury secretaries Timothy Geithner and Jack Lew.