Frank defends Geithner's role in AIG bailout

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) on Wednesday defended Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's role in the bailout of American International Group.

Geithner has come under tough criticism repeatedly over the bailout and his tenure as head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which played a central role on AIG decisions.

The most recent criticism concerns whether Fed staffers moved to limit the level of disclosure about $60 billion in derivatives transactions. Geithner had recused himself at the time, a Treasury spokeswoman said.

Frank said the calls for Geithner to testify are partisan, and that then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke played the key roles.

"Why him and not Paulson and Bernanke," said Frank. "It was Paulson and Bernanke who came to us in the fall of 2008."