Bias may hamper crisis inquiry, groups say

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Three members of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in Washington have done legal work that may bias their judgment, business groups said.

Scott Talbott, senior vice president for government affairs at the Financial Services Roundtable, said, "We do share concerns about their ability not just to appear impartial, but to be impartial," USA Today reported Monday.

The congressional commission is charged with finding the causes of the financial crisis, a task that began officially with hearings in Washington last week.

"The purpose of this commission is to take an independent, bipartisan look at what happened and how to fix it, not advance the agendas of any special interest, particularly those of the plaintiffs' bar." said Lisa Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute of Legal Reform.

Commission members include Byron Georgiou, who works for Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins, which has pursued class-action suits against banks; Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who has done similar work as a consultant; and vice chairman Bill Thomas, former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, who has served as a consultant to a firm representing financial services companies.

"This diversity of experience is an asset to the commission." Tucker Warren, a spokesman for the commission, said.