"if you wanted to piss the SEC off and get into trouble."
How many officials in the current administration are former Goldman Sachs employees? Do you think that affects the likelihood of them getting into trouble?
The OP is referring to a well publicized controversy about the role of GS in the financial crisis and its influence over government decisions. Here's a good article summarizing common knowledge about GS: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-great-american...
The implicit assumption is that people are willing to subvert their current employer for the benefit of their former employer (perhaps with the hope of being rehired by the former employer).
Yup, let's judge people by their former employers, not by their actions. I mean, Hank Paulson's decision not to bail out Lehman would have been totally OK, have he not been former Goldman CEO...
Not sure how many (if any) layers of sarcasm to strip away, so I'll just say: Hank Paulson's decision not to bail out Lehman was not OK regardless. His former employer simply might have informed that incorrect (for the US/world in general) decision. Simple bias; had GS been on the chopping block, I can personally guarantee he would not have advised letting it tank.
Human nature; exceptional behaviour from Paulson, which seems unlikely given the kind of person he had to become and loyalty he had to exhibit to get to be at the head of both GS and the Treasury.
How many officials in the current administration are former Goldman Sachs employees? Do you think that affects the likelihood of them getting into trouble?