Illinois Republican Party

Questions for Robert Gibbs about Alexi's White House Visit
3/9/2010

According to multiple press reports, embattled Democrat Senate hopeful Alexi Giannoulias will be at the White House later today.

While Giannoulias' spokesman Kathleen Strand says the White House event this week “is a quick in and out,” Politico reports that Giannoulias will “likely to stop in and chat with political aides like Axelrod and Patrick Gaspard, part of a running effort to convince national Democrats not to write the race off.”

Please find a list of proposed questions for White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs at today’s White House Press Briefing:

1) During a stump speech for Martha Coakley in January, the President said: “Bankers don’t need another vote in the U.S. Senate.” Alexi Giannoulias, a banker, is under fire in Illinois for pushing risky loans, taking big dividend payouts and cashing in on his family bank’s failure. Does the President still stand by his Massachusetts comment?

2) In the same speech in Massachusetts, the President blasted what he called “fat cats who are getting “rewarded for their failure.” Given the news that Alexi Giannoulias and his family pushed reckless “hot money” loans that brought down their family bank and now want to profit off the failure – would you call the Giannoulias family “fat cats who are getting rewarded for their failure?”

3) Last year, the New York Times reported that the White House had serious reservations about Giannoulias’ viability as a candidate because of these bank issues – and that David Axelrod wanted Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to run. Do you think Lisa Madigan would have been a stronger candidate?

4) Alexi Giannoulias is under fire for authorizing loans to known organized crime figures like Michael “Jaws” Giorango – a convicted mob pimp and bookmaker. Does the White House have a position on “Jaws”?

5) Given Giannoulias' multi-million dollar bank payouts, will White House staff charge Alexi for his food like they did with other wealthy businessmen or will they just offer Alexi water like they did with the other "fat cat" bankers?

Get More Information on Alexi Giannoulias at www.RealTruthAboutAlexi.com

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