Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he will "reserve judgment" on Lew's nomination until the Senate Finance Committee vets him.

But he did take the opportunity to blast Geithner on his way out the door.

“I’m looking for more forthright dealings with the American public from the next Treasury leader," Grassley said. "The Treasury Department in recent years has eroded public trust. Treasury and GM misled the public about GM’s repayment of its taxpayer loan. Treasury put up barriers to the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program in determining where the bailout money went. Treasury failed to use all the tools Congress provided to limit excessive compensation to executives at firms that received taxpayer bailouts.

"These actions led to the perception that Treasury put corporate America first and had something to hide from the public. The next Treasury secretary should have the mindset that the public’s business ought to be public."

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