Copy & Paste Kraninger: CFPB Nominee Gives Identical Non-Answers to 1/3 of Written Questions from Senate Dems
Senate Banking Committee Should Do More Than Simply Delay the Vote, It Should Ctrl+Alt+Del Kraninger’s Nomination Until She Comes Clean
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The answers (or lack thereof) are in and Trump Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) nominee Kathy Kraninger has once again refused to answer simple questions from Senators about her record – this time as part of the Senate’s standard questions for the record (QFR) process for presidential nominees. Kraninger gave wholly or partially identical answers to more than one-third of the questions from Senate Democrats – refusing to answer and/or get specific in her responses.
“Kathy Kraninger proved during her appearance before the Senate Banking Committee two weeks ago, that she lacks not only the experience but also the candor to be America’s chief consumer advocate at the CFPB,” said Karl Frisch, executive director of Allied Progress.
He continued, “Kraninger’s answers to written questions from Senators amount to little more than a copy and paste smokescreen. When a nominee for such an important post does little more than repeat word-for-word their refusal to answer basic questions about their record, we should all be worried.”
“Now that Senate Banking Committee Republicans have postponed a vote on Kraninger’s nomination, she has been given a third chance to answer for her record of mismanagement in some of the Trump administration’s biggest policy blunders. It’s long past time for her to come clean,” he concluded.
OBFUSCATION BY COPY & PASTE
- Kraninger gave wholly or partially identical answers to more than one-third (21!) of the written questions for the record from Senators – refusing to answer and/or get specific in her responses. Nearly half of Kraninger’s responses to questions from Senators Brown and Warren were identical, in whole or part. Nearly two-thirds of Kraninger’s responses to questions she was in a position to answer from Senators Brown, Warren, Cortez-Masto, and Menendez were identical, in whole or in part. Four of Kraninger’s responses to questions from Senators Brown, Warren, Cortez-Masto, Menendez, Reed, Schatz, Warner and Van Hollen contained identical sentences. [“Questions for Ms. Kathleen Laura Kraninger, Director-Designate, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, on behalf of Ranking Member Brown, and Senator Elizabeth Warren:,” US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 07/19/18; Questions for Ms. Kathleen Laura Kraninger, Director-Designate, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, on behalf of Ranking Member Brown, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Senator Robert Menendez, and Senator Elizabeth Warren,:” US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 07/19/18; “Questions for Ms. Kathleen Laura Kraninger, Director-Designate, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, on behalf of Ranking Member Brown, Senator Jack Reed, Senator Robert Menendez, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Brian Schatz, Senator Chris Van Holle” US Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 07/19/18]
- During her Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing, Kraninger repeatedly refused to answer questions from Senators about her record. Senators asked Kraninger what role she played in various Trump administration policies, but repeatedly refused to answer. [Sylvan Lane, “Dems fume as Trump’s consumer bureau pick refuses to discuss role in border policy ,” The Hill, 07/19/18]
- Senate Banking Committee Democrats asked to postpone Kraninger’s confirmation hearing until they receive documents about Kraninger requested from the Trump Administration. “Banking Committee Democrats sent a letter to committee chair Sen. Mike Crapo (D-ID) asking him to postpone the [confirmation] hearing until the Trump administration sends over documentation on Kraninger they’ve requested in two separate letters to her.” [Emily Stewart, “Democrats gear up for a fight over the next head of the CFPB,” Vox, 07/19/18]
- Consumer advocates filed a lawsuit because OMB and CFPB have failed to provide a response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking records that could shed light on Kraninger’s role in various Trump administration policies.Allied Progress sued for the release of records concerning Kraninger’s work at OMB. The records requested included employment records, emails, calendars, and other documents. [Renae Merle, “Advocacy group sues for CFPB nominee’s work records,” The Washington Post, 07/25/18]
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