U.S. Sen. Richard Burr said he panicked when he first learned of the banking crisis.
The Winston-Salem Republican told the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce that he called his wife, Brooke, and told her to withdraw money from the bank after talking with former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
The remarks, first reported by the Hendersonville Times-News, have since been picked up by The Hill, a Washington-based newspaper, and various political blogs:
"On Friday night, I called my wife and I said, 'Brooke, I am not coming home this weekend. I will call you on Monday. Tonight, I want you to go to the ATM machine, and I want you to draw out everything it will let you take. And I want you to tomorrow, and I want you to go Sunday.' I was convinced on Friday night that if you put a plastic card in an ATM machine the last thing you were going to get was cash."
Burr also said that he does not think the current economic problems — which he termed a depression — would have a U-shaped or V-shaped recovery, as past recessions have had.
"Those are the only things they talk about," he said. "Either it’s a lack of imagination or some belief that you can make everything fit into those two. Let me suggest to you today, I think we are in a Nike swoosh."




Re: Burr feared banks would fail
James, exactly what quote are you talking about from Paulson? I have read the entire article and there is not one quote from Paulson there. Was he at the event? How did the reporter in Hendersonville obtained this "never before heard Burr only quote" from Paulson.
First of all, James, please present the entire story told by Burr.
“On Wednesday morning of that week, after they had given the transfer notice to the bank, the Chicago bank called and said, ‘We didn’t transfer the money. There is no money being transferred. There is no money that will transfer from a bank to a bank anywhere in the United States, and likely there is no money that will transfer from a bank to a bank anywhere in the world,’” Burr said.
“On Friday night, I called my wife and I said, ‘Brooke, I am not coming home this weekend. I will call you on Monday. Tonight, I want you to go to the ATM machine, and I want you to draw out everything it will let you take. And I want you to tomorrow, and I want you to go Sunday.’ I was convinced on Friday night that if you put a plastic card in an ATM machine the last thing you were going to get was cash.”
Burr's story as quoted in the original article never offers any specific dates. Thus I am not sure how James knows exactly what he knew about the financial markets on that particular "Wednesday". James' argument is founded in taking a quote out of context and playing the "victimhood" card.
Yet, James, HuffPo and others claims that Burr was subject to insider information.
Can you provide the dates of that Wednesday, James?