Senator Kent Conrad Says He Thought He Was Getting A “Frequent Flyer” Discount From Countrywide

Proof • July 29, 2009

And not, you know,special treatment from the CEO himself in exchange for shepherding legislation through the Senate worth hundreds of millions to Countrywide.

Two powerful Senate Democrats said Tuesday that they knew they got low mortgage-rate deals in a lender’s VIP program but thought the special treatment was a “courtesy” or the same as “frequent flier” discounts.
Both vehemently denied any wrongdoing or ethical lapse in the mortgage deals, which came to light a year ago and triggered investigations by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
“I thought this was like a frequent-flier program,” Sen. Kent Conrad, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said of the special benefits. “I thought nothing of it.”
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, chairman of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, said an account executive at Countrywide Financial Corp. told him that the VIP status was “nothing more than … courtesy stuff.”

Frequent flyer miles? For mortgages. Uh, yeah. You’ve heard of those, right? They come right after you talk to the CEO about getting your mortgage and he assigns you a specific loan officer to meet your needs. And after that same CEO bends the rules so that you can get a mortgage on a commercial property that the company doesn’t normally issue.
Those are just “frequent flyer” benefits that I’m sure any American who isn’t a Senator sitting on a committee key to legislation the company wants could get just by calling up Countrywide’s CEO, right?
Kent Conrad apparently thinks we’re stupid.

Tags: Asshats, Domestic Issues, North Dakota News, Politics

http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

Kent got a $10,500 gift from Countrywide because he’s a “swell guy” or a US Senator?
badlands4

Frequent Flyer discount? Uh huh.
badlands4

And he keeps changing his opinion. I watched him on CNBC this morning, and, I will try and find his exact quote, but what he said was that he had quotes from 2 other mortgage companies and one of them was the same quote as Countrywide, nothing about choosing Countrywide because of a frequent flyer discount, simply saying that Countrywide just happened to be the company he chose, but at least one of the other companies had the same deal…wonder why he didn’t choose that one? Just a quinkydink that Country wide gave him a frequent flyer deal out of the blue huh?
Neiman

I am sorry for those voters in his state, I don;t want to offend them; but this guy’s face akways looks like either a sleazy used car salesman, a child molestor or a rapist about to spring upon his prey.
jimmypop

“I thought this was like a frequent-flier program,” Sen. Kent Conrad, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said of the special benefits. “I thought nothing of it.”

but senator, i thought you didnt know about it? did you or didnt you?

we just need to keep him talking.
sayanything-7715

As Al “the Freak Frankin” proved, it only takes 50.00001% of the vote to change these guys out. Education of their tactics needs to start at the hometown level.
When they are in the state, they photo op farm yard gatherings, serving hamburgers and hot dogs and listening earnestly to the crowd, or they are shown driving down a country road in a Suburban surveying the wheat fields.
Then when they fly back to Washington, almost like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, they transform as they fly over the state line on their way to DC to become the true socialists that they are.
KayB

Sure, right, anything you say Kent… Please…. Can you imagine if he had an “R” instead of a “D”–this would have been over months ago.
http://www.dartemis.net/blog/ sayanything-42

Frequent flier or frequent liar?
http://www.policycourt.com/ Economic Policy Guru

Frequent Flier Discount? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while. Perhaps GM will give Geithner a frequent shopper card.

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Senator Kent Conrad Says He Thought He Was Getting A “Frequent Flyer” Discount From Countrywide

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