CHICAGO (AP) - Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (GYT’-nur) has blasted U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois for alleged comments he made in China while a congressman in 2009.
In his memoir out Monday, Geithner’s claims Kirk advised Chinese officials not to buy Treasury notes or other U.S. government debt. Geithner calls Kirk’s fears “delusional” and ones that undermined American interests abroad.
Kirk has traveled to China on trips sponsored by the nonprofit National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. He won his Senate seat in 2010.
His office didn’t confirm Geithner’s account, issuing a statement Monday saying the nation’s debt has grown since he went to China in 2009. And that it’s “not delusional” that the U.S.’s spending habit is crippling economic recovery.
The book chronicles Geithner’s turbulent four years in office.
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