Former adviser defends Obama's decision-making

[September 20, 2011]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- A former White House economics adviser is backing the administration's denial of an assertion that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner ignored President Barack Obama's order to consider dissolving Citibank.

Austan Goolsbee calls the claim by author Ron Suskind "just factually wrong." Appearing on CBS' "The Early Show," Goolsbee says the allegation is "ridiculous."

He says the administration was doing "stress tests" on major banks during the period of time Suskind was referring to. Goolsbee also says that "nobody was talking about dissolving anyone." The former adviser also says that when Obama directed aides to take action, "they'd do it."

Suskind told NBC's "Today" show on Tuesday that the book -- "Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington and The Education of a President" -- was meticulously researched and he's standing behind it.

[Associated Press]

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