Richard Cordray Plays Politics
16th February 2017
Richard Cordray, head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), is on the hot seat. In January, a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request revealed that Director Cordray used a private device for government communications with CFPB employees, while failing to create appropriate records of messages with the agency—a clear violation of government policy.
If not the law.
According to Ronald Rubin, a former CFPB enforcement attorney, Republican applicants were regularly ruled out of agency jobs. “As screening techniques improved, Republicans were more easily identified and rejected,” Rubin says, culminating in a culture of “political discrimination.” He elaborates on the CFPB’s early plans: “The enlarged new agency would be staffed with Democrats, top to bottom. There would not be a Republican director nominee for at least five years, and if one was ever confirmed, entrenched left-wing managers could undermine ‘attempts to weaken consumer protection.’”
My, what a surprise. Aren’t you surprised? I’m sure surprised.