BREAKING NEWS

White House denounces Perry as Republicans target Fed

WASHINGTON - The White House denounced Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry on Tuesday for his threatening remarks toward the head of the US Federal Reserve that represented some of the most inflammatory rhetoric of the 2012 election campaign.
Campaigning in Iowa on Monday, the Texas governor said he would consider it "treasonous" if Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke "prints more money between now and the election" in November 2012 -- a fresh sign of the political heat the central bank faces as it tries to right the stumbling US economy.
"If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I don't know what y'all will do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas," Perry said to laughter from supporters in Iowa.
"Printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history is almost treacherous, treasonous in my opinion," he said.
The White House responded by saying it is important for the Fed to remain independent, and jabbed back at Perry, who on Saturday entered the race for the Republican nomination to face Democratic US President Barack Obama. Perry is already considered one of the strongest candidates for the Republican nomination.