Fitch told the U.S. Treasury about its ultimate decision about 24 hours ahead of the announcement. Fitch's recent talks with the Treasury did not include the actual downgrade decision, Francis said, because it had not yet been made by the agency's ratings committee. On Monday, Fitch's credit committee met, made a decision, and Treasury officials received the Fitch press release of the downgrade. "The timing of the committee was pure coincidence," Francis told Reuters on Friday, noting the date was set weeks ago. Debt ceiling votes have been "acrimonious for decades," one U.S. official complained, referring to a long history of standoffs.

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Persons: Dylan Martinez WASHINGTON, Biden, Donald Trump, Harvard's Larry Summers, Jamie Dimon, Fitch, Joe Biden, Richard Francis, Fitch's, Francis, Mark Sobel, Sobel, Alexander Hamilton, David Lawder, Davide Barbuscia, Heather Timmons, Alistair Bell Organizations: Fitch, REUTERS, White House, Reuters, U.S . Treasury, Republicans, Congress, U.S, AAA, Treasury, Social Security, Capitol, Trump, longtime Treasury, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, U.S