Democrats want to take a look at Mick Mulvaney’s schedule to track his meetings with lobbyists, the latest headache for the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stemming from his controversial comments about how he gives access.
Twenty-two Senate Democrats requested Thursday that Mulvaney turn over his calendar and any agency communications in which he discussed giving access to lobbyists, for both his position at the CFPB and his role as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
The letter, signed by Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, says Democrats are trying to figure out if Mulvaney’s policies have been subject to “undue influence” from lobbyists. They also say that Mulvaney’s policies are “a foreseeable result of this type of influence peddling.”
Mulvaney brought trouble on himself last month at a meeting of the American Bankers Association when he told the audience that, during his time in Congress, he gave extra consideration to lobbyists’ requests for meetings if they donated to his campaign.
Mulvaney made the comments as part of a larger point that lawmakers prioritize feedback from their constituents. But the statement that he gave priority to donors drew fierce criticism from Democrats.
In the past, Mulvaney has brushed off inquiries from liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, saying that the CFPB, set up under former President Barack Obama, is insulated from congressional control.
Mulvaney has called for the agency, responsible for overseeing mortgages, credit cards, and other consumer products, to be put on congressional appropriations to give legislators more oversight. As acting director, in the meantime, he has sought to curb the bureau’s involvement in markets such as payday lending.
