Mick Mulvaney, the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, says he has yet to speak with Leandra English, who is still fighting to be the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Mulvaney says he has sent some emails to English, including one directing her to stop using the title “acting director” when communicating with employees at the agency. Mulvaney also said he has no plans to fire English, who is suing for the right to be named acting director.
English was promoted to deputy director in the hours before former director Richard Cordray resigned on November 24. Mulvaney was appointed interim director by President Donald Trump. There are some legal questions as to which law — the Federal Vacancies Reform Act which was used by President Trump, or the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which is being used by English — determines who is in charge in the event the director resigns.
Mulvaney said he has started to loosen some of the restrictions he put in place on his first day on the job, as he becomes more familiar with what’s going on at the CFPB. After initially announcing a hiring freeze, for example, Mulvaney said that job offers that were extended prior to the freeze and internal promotions both now have the green light. Mulvaney has also unfrozen the process of repaying the victims of financial crimes from the CFPB’s Civil Money Penalty fund. Payments are made from the fund twice a year and last Wednesday was the day where the next installments of payments were scheduled to be disbursed.
https://twitter.com/CFPBDirector/status/937763750937022469
Mulvaney said he is spending three days a week at the CFPB and three days at the Office of Management & Budget, which he also runs. The CFPB gets his Saturdays for now, Mulvaney said.
A federal judge is scheduled to hold another hearing in English’s lawsuit against President Trump and Mulvaney later today.
