WASHINGTON–A senior official with the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection is under scrutiny for blog posts written several years ago that express what have been called controversial views on the n-word and hate crimes.
The official, Eric Blankenstein, is a Trump administration appointee who now a policy director. Another BCFP employee who had objected to the blog postings was supported by 17 other employees who signed a statement of support, according to the Washington Post.
Two Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee and a national housing rights organization called for the departure of Blankenstein.
According to the Post, writing under a pen name in 2004, Blankenstein questioned whether the n-word was inherently racist and claimed that the great majority of hate crimes were hoaxes.
In an email distributed inside the agency, Patrice A. Ficklin, an African-American who is director of the Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity, called the statements made by Blankenstein “deeply disturbing.”
‘Quite Alarming’
“Earlier in the week, Blankenstein asked Ficklin, his subordinate, to write a supportive note about him for The Post’s initial story,” the Post reported. “In her email Friday, Ficklin said she had not read Blankenstein’s blog when she did so. ‘After the article appeared, I began to read his posts and was struck by how they reminded me of debates we’ve had with Eric on supervisory and enforcement matters,’ she wrote. ‘And while he has been collegial, thoughtful and meticulous, I have had experiences that have raised concerns that are now quite alarming in light of the content of his blog posts — experiences that call into question Eric’s ability and intent to carry out his and his Acting Director’s repeated yet unsubstantiated commitment to a continued strong fair lending program under governing legal precedent.’”
While declining additional comment, the Post said a BCFP spokesperson said the Bureau “has no plan to make any personnel or policy changes related to this issue.”