Sen. Richard Shelby’s notable vote Monday to confirm Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner came after a personal plea from Geithner, Shelby said Wednesday.
The Alabama Republican acknowledged his vote to approve the former Federal Reserve Bank of New York president was surprising, given Shelby’s opposition to the federal bailouts of Wall Street and the auto industry. He said he was leaning towards opposing Geithner — until Geithner called him up.
“He called me on the phone and asked me to please support him,” Shelby said. “I was thinking about not voting for him, but then I thought more about it and decided to do it… It’s not an endorsement of everything he’s done or is doing, though.”
–J. Taylor Rushing