Texas Governor Rick Perry, the lead Republican presidential candidate, on Monday tempered earlier comments about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, but held firm in his opposition to more monetary stimulus from the central bank.
Perry, who caused a stir in August when he said "we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas" if Bernanke launched another round of buying government bonds to lower interest rates -- known as quantitative easing -- rolled back on Monday, critizing the practice without targeting the Fed chief.
"I said that if you are allowing the Federal Reserve to be used for political purposes that it would be almost treasonous," Perry said at a Republican debate when asked if he stood by his earlier comments.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who has said he would not re-appoint Bernanke, has been less critical of the Fed and defended the central bank's role to preserve the value of currency and ensure investor confidence.
Rick Perry stood by eyebrow-raising remarks he made last month about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke during Monday night's Republican presidential debate.
HuffPost's Ryan Grim reports:
Perry stood by his controversial Fed comments from earlier in the campaign, when he said that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke would be treated "ugly" in Texas and that his monetary policy was "almost treasonous." Perry slightly softened the charge, saying that Bernanke himself wasn't a traitor, but that using the Fed for political purposes was "almost treasonous." Bernanke is a Republican.
After initially igniting controversy with the comments, the Texas governor stood by his choice of words. During a stop in New Hampshire, he did say, however, "I got in trouble talking about the Federal Reserve" and added, "I got lectured about that."
Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman used Perry's own words against him in a joke he made during Monday night's debate. HuffPost's Amanda Terkel reports:
"For Rick to say you can't secure the border, I think, is pretty much a treasonous comment," said Huntsman, apparently joking, eliciting "Ooos" from the audience and a chuckle from Perry. His comment came after Perry discussed signing legislation giving some undocumented immigrants in-state tuition at Texas colleges and universities.
Perry, who caused a stir in August when he said "we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas" if Bernanke launched another round of buying government bonds to lower interest rates -- known as quantitative easing -- rolled back on Monday, critizing the practice without targeting the Fed chief.
"I said that if you are allowing the Federal Reserve to be used for political purposes that it would be almost treasonous," Perry said at a Republican debate when asked if he stood by his earlier comments.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who has said he would not re-appoint Bernanke, has been less critical of the Fed and defended the central bank's role to preserve the value of currency and ensure investor confidence.
Rick Perry stood by eyebrow-raising remarks he made last month about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke during Monday night's Republican presidential debate.
HuffPost's Ryan Grim reports:
Perry stood by his controversial Fed comments from earlier in the campaign, when he said that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke would be treated "ugly" in Texas and that his monetary policy was "almost treasonous." Perry slightly softened the charge, saying that Bernanke himself wasn't a traitor, but that using the Fed for political purposes was "almost treasonous." Bernanke is a Republican.
After initially igniting controversy with the comments, the Texas governor stood by his choice of words. During a stop in New Hampshire, he did say, however, "I got in trouble talking about the Federal Reserve" and added, "I got lectured about that."
Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman used Perry's own words against him in a joke he made during Monday night's debate. HuffPost's Amanda Terkel reports:
"For Rick to say you can't secure the border, I think, is pretty much a treasonous comment," said Huntsman, apparently joking, eliciting "Ooos" from the audience and a chuckle from Perry. His comment came after Perry discussed signing legislation giving some undocumented immigrants in-state tuition at Texas colleges and universities.
No comments:
Post a Comment