Peter Orszag, former White House budget director, has revealed his true feelings about the West Wing. In an interview with New York magazine's Gabriel Sherman, Orszag said he never even wanted the job. "Having worked in a White House before, I knew how the infighting can become all-consuming, and I didn't want to fall into that trap again." Orszag has since made a controversial leap from the public sector to Wall Street, where he is now vice chairman of Global Banking at Citigroup. Insiders say he makes roughly $2 million to $3 million a year, and Orszag says he's happy at his new job. But maybe that's because he was an outsider at his old one. Some say Orszag resigned as budget director because he was upset by the White House's refusal to take the deficit seriously. One Democrat close to the players said he was "accused of leaking and being disloyal." But Orszag is not looking back. "Many of my mentors warned me that despite the 'no drama' Obama campaign, once in office this White House would inevitably be like others—and possibly worse. And unfortunately that's exactly what happened."
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