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CNBC's Rick Santelli Suggests the White House Threatened Him

by TheCameraObscura | February 23, 2009 at 02:58 pm

376 views | 16 Recommendations | 5 comments

CNBC’s Rick Santelli appeared on G. Gordon Liddy’s radio talk show, where he cropped a quote from White House spokesman Robert Gibbs to suggest the White House was pursuing a campaign of intimidation against him and his children.

Here’s Robert Gibbs’s full quote, which contains no threats:

GIBBS: I’ve watched Mr. Santelli on cable the past 24 hours or so. I’m not entirely sure where Mr. Santelli lives or in what house he lives, but the American people are struggling every day to meet their mortgages, stay in their jobs, pay their bills, send their kids to school.

Gibbs was pointing out the sheer absurdity of a well-to-do pundit Rick Santelli 's rant criticizing Obama’s housing plan as seeking to simply “subsidize the losers’ mortgages.”

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politisite

at 15:19 on February 23rd, 2009

Doesn't sound like a threat to me. He said, I dont know where you live not I know where you live. some folks want to extend their 15 minutes of fame

Roy C

at 18:55 on February 23rd, 2009

Santelli will be around longer than Robert Gibbs will.

While it is technically not a threat, I don't know why Gibbs had to talk about where Santelli lived. It is one of those strange non-sequiturs that would only make sense if pondering a threat.

Hence, Santelli feels threatened but hasn't been threatened.

Matt Carruthers (not verified)

at 21:19 on February 23rd, 2009

Roy I'm not sure if you read the quote carefully enough. He only mentions Mr. Santelli's living arrangements as a means to suggest that he may be out of touch with the mortgage hardships that many Americans are facing at the moment. I would suggest that the questionable lending practices employed by a de-regulated financial system should be subject to closer scrutiny than the quote above.

duo

at 22:36 on February 23rd, 2009

Sounds like Mr. Santelli is a little paranoid or grandstanding.

If the conversation regarded housing, how was it out of order for Mr. Gibbs to bring Mr. Santelli's attention to the fact that housing is something that he provides for himself and his family, and others want to do likewise?

Overwhelmingly, homeowners only reached that status because they are working people, and many were adversely affected recently by circumstances they had no control over whatsoever. When banks needed bail-outs after poor management choices or whatever went on, I bet Mr. Santelli did not call it "subsidizing the losers." Just a guess!

Please note that it is only an electronic smiley face you see above, Mr. Santelli! You are in no danger of being doused in cold water! Promise!

Mary

Roy C

at 22:25 on February 23rd, 2009

We can infer intent, but we can't prove it and Santelli has another inference different than ours about it, probably fueled by adrenaline.

Whether Santelli has a home in foreclosure is not relevant to his address. Addresses do not determine who is in foreclosure. Not paying your mortgage determines that.