WASHINGTON–The Trump Administration reportedly gave an ultimatum to Richard Cordray: Go the easy way, or go the hard way.
Cordray, the embattled director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, was given that message by Gary Cohn, the top economic advisor to President Trump, according to Politico. The publication said that Cohn had joined Cordray for dinner amid rumors that Cordray is considering a run for governor of Ohio. The CFPB, personified by Cordray, has been the subject of hostility and partisanship in Washington, with calls for Cordray to be fired or to be replaced by a five-person board, and broader calls for a scaling back of the CFPB’s powers.
Cohn came away from the dinner believing the rumors Cordray may run for the highest office in the Buckeye State to be true, according to Politico, and as a result, “the White House decided to hold off on firing Cordray. Trump didn’t want to cause a sensation that could boost his candidacy and juice his fundraising.”
Cordray — whose five-year term expires in July 2018 — has been threatened with being fired by Trump, but remains solidly in the job. Cordray, a Democrat, would be seeking the seat of Republican Gov. John Kasich, who is completing his second term.