Banking Republicans Slam CFPB Nominee Chopra Ahead of Senate Confirmation Vote
Senators Say Chopra’s Refusal to Answer Basic Oversight Questions Should Be Disqualifying
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and all Republican members of the committee sent a letter slamming Rohit Chopra, President Biden’s nominee to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), for his refusal to respond to a congressional request seeking information about an alleged purge of civil servants at the CFPB.
“Your refusal to answer basic questions about whether you were privy to the troubling and possibly unlawful actions described in the press is unacceptable from a federal nominee and in our view should disqualify you from consideration as CFPB Director,” the members wrote.
On June 17, 2021, Ranking Member Toomey called on the CFPB to turn over documents in the wake of reports that the Biden administration is removing senior career officials in order to replace them with handpicked loyalists, raising the question of whether the agency potentially violated civil service protections. The same day, Senator Toomey sent a separate letter to Mr. Chopra requesting information on whether he was aware of—or involved in—any such actions that may have occurred.
The deadline for Mr. Chopra to respond was Monday, June 21. To date, the Committee has not received any response from Mr. Chopra.
“Any individual nominated to lead a federal agency should be expected to provide truthful and clear answers to fair and basic questions from Congress,” the members continued. “Any nominee who refuses to do so during their nomination has not earned the right to be confirmed. Indeed, if you are refusing even to respond to congressional inquiries while your nomination is pending before the Senate, there is little doubt about how you will treat such inquiries if confirmed.”
Click here to read the full letter.
###
Next Article Previous Article
