Obama's Former Budget Ace Fights to Hide His Finances

The National Journal reports:

Peter Orszag, the president's former budget director, cashed out in a big way when he ditched government service for a plum job at Citigroup. But he doesn't want the world to know how big.

Orszag is battling a host of media organizations, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, and Politico, over access to financial records that will be used as exhibits in his upcoming child-support trial in D.C. Superior Court.

Typically, documents in a civil-court proceeding are accessible to the public, but Orszag succeeded last year in quietly convincing a judge to seal financial records submitted in the case, including the salary he makes as a Citigroup vice president, from public view. In that request, Orszag worried that disclosure of his income might harm his career and "damage any eventual return to Federal Government service or other public office."

According to court documents, Orszag believes his ex-wife, Cameron Kennedy, will use the threat of public disclosure of his financials at trial as leverage to publicly embarrass him or persuade him to settle. He also seeks to keep information pertaining to his current wife, ABC News correspondent Bianna Golodryga—including her income—from being made public.

Everything must be a secret when you are looking to loot taxpayers as a career move. After all, Citigroup isn't your normal company: Uncle Sugar is part owner.