Chapter 767: Capitol Hill

……

"Boss, the car is ready for you!"

Guo Shouyun nodded, looked at himself in the mirror, and half-turned around.

"Wang Jue, how about looking at my suit?"

"It fits perfectly! With the boss's figure, he is handsome in whatever clothes he wears!" Wang Jue did not hesitate to praise himself.

Guo Shouyun smiled, "Let's go, it's almost time!"

Wang Jue nodded and followed him out. Meet Stephen Bryan, Michael Moretz and Ruben d'Estaing, as well as Phoenix and Merrill Lynch's entourage, at the hotel, and drive to Capitol Hill!

Although Capitol Hill is called a mountain, it is actually just a 25-meter-high hill. The heart of the United States, the 'U.S. Capitol', is built on it.

The Parliament Building is a three-story building with a total length of 233 meters, made of white marble, and a large three-story dome on the central top floor, on which a 6-meter-high bronze statue of Lady Liberty stands. The north and south wings on either side of the dome are home to the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively. The chamber of the House of Representatives is where the President of the United States reads his annual State of the Union address. It is modeled after the Pantheon in Paris, and strives to express its majesty, emphasizing monumentality, and is a representative work of classical Revival style architecture.

Guo Shouyun is no stranger to the Capitol. The large lawn east of the Capitol is where successive presidents have delivered their inaugural speeches, and he has attended both of George W. Bush's inaugural speeches after his two successful election campaigns.

After getting out of the car, passing through the three bronze 'Colum Departments', I glanced briefly at the eight oil paintings depicting American history in the rotunda, and walked straight to the corridor on the left.

The venue for the hearing was in the Senate conference room, and when Guo Shouyun walked in with his own people, someone had already arrived early.

As today's protagonists, they naturally attract the attention of almost everyone!

"Boss, look!"

Guo Shouyun nodded, in fact, he didn't need Wang Jue to remind him, he also noticed Geselle Schiff sitting on the left, Citigroup CEO Cram Pandit and other 'enemies'.

After nodding and saying hello to a few friends he knew, Guo Shouyun led his people to the front and sat down in the position that belonged to them. Stephen Bryan sat next to him.

"BOSS, something is wrong!"

"You feel it too?"

Brian nodded, "Richard Cheney has been broken off by us. It stands to reason that today's hearing was just a formality, and no one could stop the merger of Phoenix and Merrill Lynch, which meant the failure of the Schiff and Citi conspiracy. It stands to reason that Geselle Schiff and Krum Pandit will not be here today, after all, no one likes to accept defeat and the show-off of the successful... But now, not only Geselle Schiff and Kram Pandit are here, but also Steven Lipin, CEO of Halliburton Energy, Daniel Trotter, CEO of ING Group in the Netherlands, and John Wally, CEO of Barclays. They don't come to accept failure, they seem to welcome success!"

Guo Shouyun frowned, "I feel this way too." Did you say something went wrong?"

"Probably not, we've made too much preparation, it's impossible to fail!" After thinking for a moment, Richard Cheney shook his head.

"Don't think about it and focus on the next hearing!"

Stephen Bryan nodded.

However, the mood of the two did not ease up.

As the minutes and hour hands reached half-past nine, Mitch McConnell, who was in charge of the meeting, gently patted the microphone and, after feeling that there was no malfunction, began to say, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to today's hearing. I'm Mitch McConnell, the head of this hearing. The topic of this hearing is the issue that the American public and the economic community are most concerned about at present: whether the merger between Phoenix Bank and Merrill Lynch involves monopoly issues. ”

“… Mr. Stephen Blaine, CEO of Phoenix Bank, and Mr. Michael Moretz, CEO of Merrill Lynch. ”

Brian and Moritz raised their hands at the same time.

“… It is hoped that the two gentlemen will be able to answer honestly any questions raised by the 13 members of the hearing. ”

"Of course, there are no problems!" replied Stephen Bryan.

Michael Moretz nodded.

"Do you have anything to say about the monopoly involved in the Phoenix and Merrill Lynch merger, which is widely discussed in the economic circles?" said Mitch McConnell.

After Stephen Bryan and Michael Moretz exchanged glances, the former said, "Mr. McConnell, I personally feel that this is a slander from competitors and a far-fetched decision by the masses who don't know the truth. First of all, the new company after the merger of Phoenix Bank and Merrill Lynch is comparable to Citigroup in terms of revenue and profit. Although the company's assets will be higher, Citigroup's assets are also $2.1 trillion. If Citigroup's mergers and acquisitions and operations do not involve monopolies, why does the merger of Phoenix Bank and Merrill Lynch involve monopolies?"

“… Secondly, monopoly means that a small number of large capitalist enterprises manipulate and control the production, sale and price of goods in one or several sectors through mutual agreements or associations in order to obtain high profits. Now the merger of Phoenix and Merrill Lynch is just an ordinary business merger. We did not connect with any of the financial institutions of Citigroup, MG Chase, Goldman Sachs, or Da Morgan to manipulate the financial markets. Phoenix Merrill Lynch is also far from manipulating the market. ”

“… Therefore, the accusations that the Phoenix and Merrill Lynch merger involves monopoly are groundless, shady, and contrary to basic business laws and the federal constitution. I hope that the Commission will give us a fair ruling to uphold the normal business order and law of the Federation. ”

“… Commission, my statement is over!"

"Some institutions complained that Phoenix Merrill Lynch jointly manipulated the spot price of gold and the price of oil, what explanation do you have?"

"Mr. McConnell, I believe that every market analysis report from Phoenix and Merrill Lynch is based on detailed data and honest judgments. Rather than manipulating the market, our analysts will communicate our views and opinions to the market based on our assertions on how the current price of gold and oil futures will perform in the future. In order to ensure that those investors with insufficient professional knowledge can avoid possible market risks in a timely manner. It's not a monopoly, it's the responsibility of every big financial institution!"

"What does Michael Moretz think about the Bruce Foundation's excessively high holdings in Phoenix and Merrill Lynch will make you de-regulated and become an unstable force in the financial markets?"

Stephen Bryan's dripping water allowed Mitch McConnell to shift the target.

"The Bruce Fund is only the shareholder, and the company is the management. We undergo rigorous vocational training and have proven our work ethic over the years of our careers. Therefore, we will operate Phoenix Merrill Lynch honestly within the limits of the federal constitution, and will not be subservient to any individual or institution to make decisions that are harmful to the entire U.S. financial market. ”

“… In addition, Phoenix Bank and Merrill Lynch have just conducted a round of financing, and the Bruce Fund holds no more than 45% of the equity, and there is no possibility of unilateral manipulation of the company's operations!"

Mitch McConnell threw out one question after another, with a gesture of breaking the casserole and asking to the end. Guo Shouyun, Michael Moritz and others frowned.

That's not what a planned person on their side should be!

"Bruce, there's something wrong with Mitch McConnell!" Stephen Bryan whispered, frowning.

"We were negligent. Just think that he is a supporter of George W. Bush, a member of the Republican Party, and I think he will support us. Now it seems that he has long been pulled by Schiff and Citigroup. ”

"Fortunately, to really decide whether the merger of Phoenix and Merrill Lynch involves a monopoly, it still needs to be voted on by all members of the committee, so we haven't failed yet!"

Guo Shouyun nodded. Mitch McConnell was the head of the hearing, but he was also just one vote. The remaining twelve people will also be critical for this hearing. However, since Schiff and Citigroup have co-opted him, they will inevitably co-opt others in the hearing. Although he also has his own layout in it, it is still unknown who will die in the end. However, seeing Karl Rove sitting among the 13 witnesses in the hearing, Guo Shouyun was gloomy. The presence of this friend who betrayed him is not a good sign.

This is the end of the questioning session, and the next 13 members of the hearing will vote according to the answers of Phoenix Bank and Merrill Lynch. ”

Hearing this, the attention of everyone in the venue instantly focused. Even Guo Shouyun, who has always been calm, couldn't help but beat a little faster.

Mitch McConnell organized the language and said, "Please raise your hand if you think 'the merger of Phoenix and Merrill Lynch involves a monopoly'!"

Six people raised their right hands one after another, and seeing this, Guo Shouyun's heart instantly sank, and his expression became ugly. Through the previous questioning session, Mitch McConnell, who originally thought that he belonged to their side, was obviously co-opted by the Schiff family and Citi. And now he has not yet taken a position.

Mitch McConnell, who was watched by countless people in the audience, smiled faintly and slowly raised his right hand.

But strangely, he didn't see the disappointment and anger he expected on Bruce Guo's face, but instead saw joy, joy and disbelief.

In contrast, Geselle Schiff, Kram Pandit and others, who were supposed to be happy, had their faces filled with shock and anger, and even Steven Lipin, who was impatient, had already 'vacated' from his seat and stood up.