Charlie Gasparino Says DOJ May Decide Blankfein's Fate

In a report filed with Fox Business, Charlie Gasparino is reporting that Goldman Sachs GS CEO Lloyd Blankfein's fate may be decided not by him, but by the Department of Justice. Despite reports that Blankfein wants to stay on for a few more years, and he has no plans to step down currently, the continued investigation by the U.S. Justice Department may make things that much more difficult for Blankfein. The DOJ is looking into statements he made appearing before a Senate committee which was looking into Goldman's role in the 2008 financial crisis. Gasparino reports that if Blankfein becomes a target of the investigation, Goldman Sachs's board of directors may "offer Blankfein up as a sacrifice in exchange for leniency." Despite the report, a spokesman for Goldman said Lloyd had no plans to step down any time soon. "We have consistently said that the testimony we gave was truthful and accurate and that this is confirmed by the Subcommittee's own report," the spokesman said to Gasparino. "The report references testimony from Goldman Sachs witnesses who repeatedly and consistently acknowledged that we were intermittently net short during 2007. We did not have a massive net short position because our short positions were largely offset by our long positions, and our financial results clearly demonstrate this point.”‬‪ At last check, shares of Goldman were off 21 cents to $135.62, a loss of 0.15%.