LANCASTER, Pa., Feb 12 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve is only making life harder for itself by providing additional monetary stimulus, because a large balance sheet will make it tougher to withdraw liquidity when the time comes, a top Fed official said on Tuesday.

'The more stimulus we provide, the greater the sensitivity to small errors in the timing and pace of withdrawal,' Jeffrey Lacker, the Richmond Fed's hawkish president, told reporters after a speech.

(Reporting By Pedro Nicolaci da Costa; Editing by Leslie Adler) Keywords: USA FED/LACKER

(Pedro.DaCosta@thomsonreuters.com)(www.twitter.com/pdacosta)(2 02 354 5820)(Reuters Messaging: pedro.dacosta.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net.)

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