President Barack Obama on Sunday announced his picks for three top Treasury Department posts to fill out the thin ranks under embattled Secretary Timothy Geithner at a time of economic crisis.
Obama nominated David Cohen as assistant Treasury secretary for terrorist financing, Alan Krueger as assistant secretary for economic policy and Kim Wallace as assistant secretary for legislative affairs. "Out of crisis arises opportunity," the president said in a statement.
"With the leadership of these accomplished individuals and our whole economic team, I am absolutely confident that we will turn around this economy and seize this opportunity to secure a more prosperous future."
The nominations came days after two other top Treasury candidates withdrew from consideration, in part over the long and gruelling vetting process, according to news reports. As the administration battles the worst US recession in decades, Geithner is still the only nominated official in place at Treasury nearly two months into Obamas presidency.
All three nominees announced Sunday have been serving as counsellors to Geithner, whose own nomination ran into trouble over his tax affairs before he finally won Senate approval.