Sen. Elizabeth Warren [D-Mass.] is going to town on remarks made last week by Mick Mulvaney, the acting director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection where he said he would only meet with lobbyists who contributed to his campaign when he was a member of the House of Representatives.
Mulvaney made the remarks last week when speaking at an event hosted by the American Bankers Association. During the event, Mulvaney described the “hierarchy” inside his office, saying:
“If you’re a lobbyist who never gave us money, I didn’t talk to you,” Mulvaney said. “If you’re a lobbyist who gave us money, I might talk to you.”
That remark, as well as one where Mulvaney equated the agency’s consumer complaint database to a “Yelp for financial services” were widely circulated.
Sen. Warren has written a letter to the CFPB’s top ethics official, asking a number of questions about Mulvaney’s involvement in decisions or cases related to companies he received contributions from while he was in office.
A copy of Warren’s letter can be accessed by clicking here.
“Mr. Mulvaney has admitted that he ran a pay-to-play operation while in Congress,” Warren wrote in her letter. “For American families to trust the CFPB, they have to know that lobbyists’ payments to Mr. Mulvaney’s campaign are not putting in play CFPB policies that favor those same lobbyists.”
The questions asked by Sen. Warren are:
- What, if any, advice did you give Mr. Mulvaney about working on matters related to his political donors when he arrived at the CFPB?
- Is Mr. Mulvaney recused from working on matters related to any company or industry? If so, please list them.
- Given Mr. Mulvaney’s admission that companies received access in exchange for political contributions during his time as a Congressman, do you intend to take any additional action to prevent him from engaging in matters involving his donors?
- Some ofthe political appointees Mr. Mulvaney has installed at the CFPB previously worked at entities affected by the Bureau’s actions. Please provide the list ofrecusals for all political appointees currently working at CFPB, including those who are detailed to the agency.
Mulvaney, who is also the director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, was a member of the House from 2010-2016.
