The Justice Department on Friday asked a federal appeals court to throw out a ruling directing Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to testify about the government's 2008 decision to bail out American International Group Inc. (AIG), The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The government asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to overturn a July decision by U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Thomas C. Wheeler that Bernanke submit to a deposition in the case, which is being brought by Starr International Co., run by former AIG Chief Executive Maurice "Hank" Greenberg. Judge Wheeler ruled that Bernanke's close involvement in the decision to bail out AIG at the height of the financial crisis warranted his testimony and made it unlikely that other officials could provide the same information. The department challenged that finding in its appeal, arguing that neither Judge Wheeler nor Starr have shown that other sources would not suffice.
