US corporate leaders defend Treasury nominee against congressional critics

Washington

SOME of the biggest names on Wall Street came to the defence of US Treasury nominee Antonio Weiss - as lawmakers criticise the Lazard Ltd banker for being too close to Wall Street.

More than 60 business leaders, including Morgan Stanley's James Gorman and BlackRock Inc's Laurence Fink, on Friday endorsed Mr Weiss to be undersecretary for domestic finance. They joined four former holders of the position to say that he's well-qualified for the job.

"He will be a careful steward of the Treasury debt market, and he will be a voice for strong, smart, effective financial regulation," according to a letter on Friday from members of the Partnership for New York City, a nonprofit group of almost 300 chief executive officers. "The finance ministry of the world's leading economy must have deep …