Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray is facing yet more questions amid speculation that he plans to resign his position to run in Ohio’s 2018 Democrat gubernatorial primary. A new report reveals that Cordray used his government email to handle a message offering campaign help, reinforcing previous questions regarding his compliance with the Hatch Act. This is just the latest controversy surrounding Washington D.C.’s most power-hungry bureaucrat, who has been accused of misleading Congress, refusing to promote transparency, and funneling tens of millions of dollars in federal contracts to Democrat ad makers through the CFPB. With scandals piling up around Cordray, he continues to show Ohioans how unfit he is for elected office.
The Washington Free Beacon has more details:
Richard Cordray, the Obama-appointed director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), received a message on his government email address with an offer to help with his potential campaign for governor of Ohio, which Cordray then forwarded to a redacted address, an email obtained by the Washington Free Beacon shows.
A government watchdog suggested Cordray’s actions may be a violation of the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from using government resources for any activities that are politically related.
Speculation first arose about Cordray’s possible candidacy after the Cleveland Plain Dealer published an article on July 19 in which Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O’Neill claimed he was told that Cordray, a former Democratic attorney general in the state, would run for governor. O’Neill himself was contemplating a run, but vowed not to enter the race if Cordray were interested in launching a campaign.
In the document obtained by the Free Beacon, an individual calling herself Debbie wrote to Cordray’s government email account on July 21, two days after the Plain Dealer’s article was published, and offered to provide any help she could if the rumors were true.
‘Hi Rich. If the following is true, count me in to help in any way,’ she writes. ‘BTW, please send me your personal email when it’s convenient. Very best regards, Debbie.’
Debbie was referring to a portion of the Plain Dealer piece that she had copy and pasted below her offer to aide his potential campaign.
‘Former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray is going to run for governor of Ohio, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O’Neill said he was told last week by a mutual friend,’ the portion posted in the email reads. ‘O’Neill said the friend, whom he declined to name, ‘openly stated’ that Cordray is going to enter the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary.’
It is unclear who ‘Debbie’ is, as her email is redacted in the document. Cordray then forwarded that message to another email address, which is also redacted.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau declined to comment on the identity of ‘Debbie’ and to which individual Cordray had forwarded the email…
The CFPB on Thursday issued its payday lending rules. It has been speculated that the rule was one of the final issues keeping Cordray at the bureau if he has decided to run for office, the Daily Caller reported.”
Previously:
