Via Politico, This NY Sun article was eye-opening:
James Johnson, one of three people tapped by Mr. Obama recently to oversee the search for his running mate, took at least five real estate loans totaling more than $7 million from Countrywide Financial Corp. through an informal program for friends of the company’s CEO, Angelo Mozilo, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. The Journal said at least two of the mortgages, among a series of loans made available to people Countrywide officials called “friends of Angelo,” were at rates below market averages, though it is difficult to predict a market rate without access to nonpublic information about a borrower’s credit history and other factors that can reduce interest charges on a loan
So I guess we just add this to the list of questionable things Jim Johnson has done. Bear in mind that Jim Johnson is the guy that’s supposed to be helping Obama vet VP candidates, and yet he’s hardly a spokesman for ethical standards. When Barack Obama talks about reforming Washington, it’s not exactly comforting to know that the likes of Jim Johnson is helping him do it.
UPDATE: Apparently, the WSJ reported this before the Sun did this weekend. You can read the the WSJ’s original article here, though you need subscriber access.