WASHINGTON -- The Treasury Department backed away from a standoff over the independence of the special government watchdog appointed to scrutinize how last year's $700 billion financial-industry bailout is being spent.
Neil Barofsky, special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, a position also known as Sigtarp, declared victory Wednesday in his effort to clarify that he doesn't answer to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
Mr. Barofsky has gained a reputation for his aggressive posture and demands for information from government officials and Wall Street. The former federal prosecutor is charged with tracking the money spent to prop up the banking system during the financial crisis and to report the results of his audits directly to Congress.
In a letter Wednesday to members of Congress, Mr. Barofsky said the Treasury had withdrawn an earlier request to the Justice Department seeking a legal opinion on how much independence the Sigtarp office enjoys. Mr. Barofsky had told lawmakers he feared that being subject to the Treasury secretary's supervision would be "a threat to our independence."
By Evan Perez and Deborah Solomon
The Wall Street Journal, Page A3
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