WASHINGTON—Leandra English, who had gone to court to challenge the leadership of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, said she will leave the Bureau early this week. She plans to also drop her lawsuit challenging Mick Mulvaney as the Bureau's acting director.
"I will be stepping down from my position at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau… having made this decision in light of the recent nomination of a new director,” said English, who has served as deputy director, in a statement through her attorney.President Donald Trump nominated White House budget official Kathy Kraninger to lead the Bureau in June.
English’s decision brings to a close one of the oddest chapters in federal agency leadership. After former Director Richard Cordray announced his resignation in 2017 to return to Ohio and run for governor (he is the Democratic candidate), Cordray named English as his replacement, citing language in the Dodd Frank Act that created the BCFP. But Trump instead said he had the authority under the The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 to name a replacement, and he appointed Mulvaney, who is also head of the Office of Management and Budget, to the position. That led for a short time to both Mulvaney and English showing up at the BCFP and claiming they were in charge.
English eventually filed suit, as CUToday.info most recently reported here.
“We’re pleased to see this period of uncertainty at the Bureau come to an end, and we look forward to continued engagement with Acting Director Mulvaney and his potential successor Kathy Kraninger,” said CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle. “CUNA maintains that a bipartisan, multi-member commission leading the bureau would ensure transparency and consistency that the financial services industry needs.” The Senate Banking Committee is slated to consider Kraninger’s nomination during a July 19 hearing. Mulvaney will serve as acting director until Kraninger is confirmed.