Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has continued her attacks on the Trump-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by questioning if Acting Director Mick Mulvaney violated the federal Hatch Act by attending an event that reportedly included political donors.
According to a Politico report, Warren sent Mulvaney a letter citing his appearance at “closed-door event in New York City” earlier this month. The Hatch Act prevents executive branch officials from engaging in certain political activity, although it is not certain if Mulvaney used his appearance for fundraising purposes. Nonetheless, Warren demanded answers on what transpired.
“Your appearance at this private event with Republican donors and campaign officials raises questions about your compliance with the Hatch Act and other federal laws, your judgment, and your management of the Office of Management and Budget and the [CFPB],” Warren wrote in a letter to Mulvaney. “The report of your meeting with top donors and campaign officials raise[s] new questions about your behavior, and require[s] an explanation. By custom, top executive branch officials and independent agency heads—financial regulators in particular—steer well clear of campaign or donor-related activity.”
Warren demanded that Mulvaney answer 10 questions on the meeting by Sept. 29. The CFPB did not publicly acknowledge Warren’s letter.
Warren, who is widely credited as the creator of the CFPB, has been hostile to the CFPB leadership since the departure of Richard Cordray as director last November. She pointedly refused to acknowledge Mulvaney as acting director when Cordray appointee
Leandra English claimed she was the rightful holder of that title and she attempted to halt the nomination of Kathy Kraninger as CFPB director, even going so far as to
badger the U.S. Chamber of Commerce into dropping its support of Kraninger. She also
cited Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s ruling on the constitutionality of the CFPB as a reason to disqualify him from the high court, tweeting, “There’s a lot to dislike about Brett Kavanaugh’s record – including his hostility toward consumers.”
