Can't we keep the corruption subtle, please?

Times:

President Obama’s nominee to lead the Treasury Department, Jacob J. Lew, got a $685,000 severance payment when he left a top post at New York University in 2006 to take a job at Citigroup. ...

“Why are they doing that when he’s moving on to bigger and better things?” [John J. McGowan Jr., a partner at the Cleveland firm BakerHostetler] said. “It’s the type of thing that might raise eyebrows.”

Less than a year after Mr. Lew went to Citigroup, the company agreed to pay $2 million as part of a settlement reached with the attorney general at the time, Andrew M. Cuomo, over Citigroup’s role as a preferred lender to students at N.Y.U. and other colleges. The case focused, in part, on what were basically kickbacks being paid by preferred lenders to universities; N.Y.U. paid $1.4 million to reimburse students as part of the same settlement.

“I do not recall having any conversations with Citigroup officials regarding Citigroup’s selection or actions as a preferred lender for N.Y.U. students,” Mr. Lew told senators. “Also, I do not believe that I approved the selection of Citigroup as a preferred lender for N.Y.U. students.”

Not the same as "did not."

Hush money?

Backhander from Citigroup, to be laundered through "gifts" later?

The Democrats must be scurrying to cash in before Obama goes totally lame duck!