Dear Inspector General Batts:
Thank you for your recent investigation of and report on former Director Charles E.F. Millard’s involvement in the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s (PBGC) implementation of its investment policy. This report brought to light very troubling actions regarding Mr. Millard’s involvement in the procurement process, and we look forward to seeing the extent to which PBGC carries out your recommendations.
We write to request that your office conduct further investigation into Mr. Millard’s later contacts with executives at companies that were awarded strategic partnership contracts. We refer inparticular to e-mails between Mr. Millard and a top executive at Goldman Sachs, which was awarded $700 million of PBGC assets for private equity investments. In e-mails that were sent within two weeks after the award was announced, Mr. Millard writes to one Goldman Sachs executive regarding his jobprospects, “Good to see you today. Thanks for speaking with Dennis Kass, and for your offer to get intouch with" several non-Goldman Sachs investment firm executives. He later asks the executive forcontact information for an executive at Jennison Associates, an investment firm.
After the Goldman Sachs executive confirms on Nov. 12, 2008 that several executives are interested in meeting Mr. Millard, he responds “Ur grt. Tx. Will send info soon." Mr. Millard later emails several executives at another investment firm about their interest in him. He did not hear back for a period of weeks due to one of the executives’ illness, until the Goldman Sachs executive e-mailed him,“[The Executive] said he really likes you and if times were better he would have hired you already…. Hedefinitely likes you - is just not in a rush due to the terrible markets. Hope that helps."
This correspondence clearly shows Mr. Millard seeking placement assistance in the weeks following the contract announcements. We do not know the extent to which these conversations took place in personal e-mails or telephone calls, and request that your office further examine this matter.Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter, and we would appreciate an initial response by no later than May 29, 2009.
Sincerely,
Edward M. Kennedy Chairman HELP Committee
Max Baucus Chairman Committee on Finance
Michael Enzi Ranking Member HELP Committee
Charles E. Grassley Ranking Member Committee on Finance
Source: Ranking Member’s News
