Spitzer to AIG: Show Us the Email

The Treasury Department's shopping its 80% stake in AIG, but before it sells, all Eliot Spizter wants for Christmas is for the financial behemoth to finally disclose exactly how it triggered the financial crisis. "Who knew what, and when? Who benefited, and by exactly how much?," questions the ex-gov, writing in a New York Times op-ed with Frank Partnoy and William Black. The answers, they write, lie "in the "trove of email messages still backed up on AIG servers"—and it's time for them to see daylight.

Granted, some emails might contain privileged information, but AIG owes it to the public to post the rest online, where "a thousand journalistic flowers can bloom, as reporters, victims, and angry citizens have a chance to piece together the story." And while AIG execs might well be exonerated, "we would like to see the record to find out." (More Eliot Spitzer stories.)