Ben Bernanke sacked

FORMER FED GOVERNOR: Obama 'Basically Fired Ben Bernanke On The Spot'

Business Insider,

19 June, 2013

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On Monday evening, President Obama said in an interview, "Well, I think Ben Bernanke's done an outstanding job. Ben Bernanke's a little bit like Bob Mueller, the head of the FBI - where he's already stayed a lot longer than he wanted or he was supposed to."

That raised some eyebrows and really turned up the volume on the conversation on Tuesday regarding potential successors to replace Bernanke when his term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve expires in January.

In an interview with CNBC, former Fed Governor Larry Meyer said Obama "basically fired Ben Bernanke on the spot."

"This is really remarkable," said Meyer. "I almost fell off my chair when I heard the President's remarks last night. He basically fired Ben Bernanke on the spot, and gave a fairly tepid testimonial afterward."

When pressed on his comments, Meyer said, "Of course, it's unclear what the President wants. You know, there's always a bit of hyperbole when I talk, but look: the President said [Bernanke] stayed 'longer than he wanted to and was supposed to.' What does that mean? I am just befuddled. So, that's why I started like that."

Meyer, who served with Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Janet Yellen on the Board of Governors in the 1990s, thinks Yellen is the most likely candidate to replace Bernanke next year.