During the February 26 edition of NBC's Today, CNBC on-air editor Rick Santelli claimed that he's “not saying” that the White House is “threatening” him. However, as the blog Think Progress noted, on the February 23 broadcast of Radio America's The G. Gordon Liddy Show, Santelli agreed with host G. Gordon Liddy's claim that White House press secretary Robert Gibbs made a “veiled threat” during a February 20 press briefing.

On Today, co-host Matt Lauer said of Gibbs' remarks about Santelli: "[A]fter you heard his comments, you said that he was threatening you. Are you serious about that?" Lauer later said to Santelli, "[W]hat Robert Gibbs said was, basically, he was -- and I'm paraphrasing here -- he was saying he's not sure that as a former trader and current television personality, you're living in the same kind of neighborhoods where people are struggling to pay their mortgages. He wasn't threatening you." Santelli replied:

SANTELLI: Well, listen, I'm not saying threatening. And just to be pinpointed specifically, I find very unusual, and I think that it's more of a decision for you as the press or all the people on the lawn that giggled at the joke about caffeine -- and it was funny -- but how would they like to be pinpointed specifically? I think that's the issue at hand. I don't want to make more out of this.

However, during Liddy's show, Santelli said of Gibbs: “He started that press conference saying, 'I don't know where he lives. I don't know where his house is.' This is the press secretary of the White House. Is that the kind of thing we want?” When Liddy interjected, “That's a veiled threat,” Santelli responded, “It really is.” Liddy later said of Gibbs' comment, “And that's a veiled threat, you know, 'We know where you live,' and so forth.” Santelli replied, “It really -- it's quite scary.”

From the February 23 broadcast of Radio America's The G. Gordon Liddy Show:

SANTELLI: He started that press conference saying, “I don't know where he lives. I don't know where his house is.” This is the press secretary of the White House. Is that the kind of thing we want? Is that what it --

LIDDY: That's a veiled threat.

SANTELLI: It really is. You know what? This isn't about left or right. I wasn't for any of the bailouts under the last administration. But I don't realize or recall reading the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution where it says that once you vote for somebody in November, you put duct tape over your mouth and you can't say a word for the next four years. That's just not right.

LIDDY: No, it isn't. And that's a veiled threat, you know, “We know where you live,” and so forth.

SANTELLI: It really -- it's quite scary.

From the February 26 edition of NBC's Today:

LAUER: Let me take this a step further. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, commented, called you out in the briefing room, and after you heard his comments, you said that he was threatening you. Are you serious about that?

SANTELLI: Listen, let's put it this way. Matt, you're married, are you not?

LAUER: Yeah, I am.

SANTELLI: OK. This is more about the feelings my wife had when she watched the body language and listened to what he was saying, and I think you understand --

LAUER: But this is the White House press secretary. Do you think he's going to threaten you on national television?

SANTELLI: Well, let's rephrase the question. Do we think it's normal to be named by name, as opposed to the general media at large, say the cable guy or some of the comments? I find, my wife finds, and many of my friends find that the direct confrontation and pointing me out by name just is not ordinary, and I'll leave it at that and let people make their own judgment.

DYLAN RATIGAN (CNBC anchor): Let me say -- let me say one thing on Rick's behalf. Rick has -- is channeling an emotion everybody in America is feeling, that people were able to cheat the system, whether it's on Wall Street, whether it was politicians, or whether it was homeowners. Rick has been aggressive in criticizing the treatment of the bankers, the behavior of the politicians. He's gotten a lot of attention now for the homeowners, but that is not a unique issue. He hits a behavioral economics 101 issue, which is people will not engage a system that they do not believe is fair.

LAUER: And I completely understand your supporting Rick, and Rick, I'm sure your wife is a lovely person. However, what Robert Gibbs said was, basically, he was -- and I'm paraphrasing here -- he was saying he's not sure that as a former trader and current television personality, you're living in the same kind of neighborhoods where people are struggling to pay their mortgages. He wasn't threatening you.

SANTELLI: Well, listen, I'm not saying threatening. And just to be pinpointed specifically, I find very unusual, and I think that it's more of a decision for you as the press or all the people on the lawn that giggled at the joke about caffeine -- and it was funny -- but how would they like to be pinpointed specifically? I think that's the issue at hand. I don't want to make more out of this. You know, here I am, and I want to continue to do what I've always done, and that is, question motivation, whether it's the Fed chairman, and we know --

LAUER: Right, but the only thing I would say -- the only thing, Rick, I would say --

SANTELLI: -- that he wants the economy to cure down the road, but is it true?

LAUER: But the only thing I would say , Rick, is if you go out of your way to call out the president of the United States, you have to expect that his representative may go out of his way to call you out. Isn't that go -- doesn't that go with the territory?

SANTELLI: Well, what we're really saying is calling out -- as a member of the press, do I not get to ask a question or question the system? I understand that. I just --

LAUER: And as the press secretary, doesn't he have the right to ask you a question?

SANTELLI: He certainly does. It would be nice if he did it face to face, but I don't know that he needs to throw out my name. I just have an issue with that.

RATIGAN: I think that the emotion here is a real emotion that everybody in this country feels, and we would be well-served by this administration, Republicans and Democrats, making it clear that they are going to make sure that the cheaters on Wall Street and in the housing market and in Congress will be caught. I think that if you back up and look at the emotion, I think that's Rick's point --

LAUER: Clearly --

RATIGAN: -- your point, and my point, and a lot of other people's point.

LAUER: Clearly, it's touched a nerve. We will all agree on that.

SANTELLI: One think, Matt let's get this out.

LAUER: Real quick. Real quick, Rick.

SANTELLI: Everybody that's talking right now, we want all of this to succeed. We just want to make sure that as we spend the money we don't have, we're getting a return and people have a chance to look at it and understand where it's going --

LAUER: OK.

SANTELLI: -- and what type of return we're getting for these trillions.

RATIGAN: And you can't restart a system that's riddled with cheaters.

LAUER: All right, guys, thank you. Dylan, Rick, thank you very much.