Top Republican Senator Slams Biden Nominee For Ignoring Information Request

• Republican Sen. Pat Toomey criticized President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead a top financial regulator for ignoring an information request about the agency’s potentially illegal hiring practices.
• “Mr. Chopra’s silence and total disregard of a congressional inquiry calls into question his fitness to serve,” Toomey said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation on Thursday.
• Last week, Toomey sent Chopra, currently a member of the Federal Trade Commission, a letter with a list of questions about whether he had been made aware of the CFPB’s alleged hiring practices.

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey criticized President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead a top financial regulator for ignoring an information request about the agency’s potentially illegal hiring practices.

Rohit Chopra, Biden’s nominee to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), has completely ignored a request for information regarding his involvement in the agency’s reported strategy forcing senior officials to vacate their positions, Toomey said. Chopra’s refusal to share information with the committee suggests he won’t be responsive to oversight if he is confirmed to the position, Toomey added.

“Mr. Chopra’s silence and total disregard of a congressional inquiry calls into question his fitness to serve,” Toomey said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation on Thursday. “I fear Mr. Chopra’s refusal to give basic answers to Congress while his nomination is pending before the Senate leaves little doubt about how he will treat congressional oversight if he is confirmed.”

Last week, Toomey sent Chopra, currently a member of the Federal Trade Commission, a letter with a list of questions about whether he had been made aware of the CFPB’s alleged hiring practices. The Pennsylvania senator gave Chopra until Monday to respond, but hasn’t received a response as of Thursday evening. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: More Top Republicans Pressure IG To Probe Biden’s Hiring Practices)

The allegations stem from a recent GovExec report, which outlined how the senior CFPB officials have been forced out to make way for individuals closely aligned with the White House agenda since Biden took office. The Biden administration has reportedly offered generous separation incentives to senior officials who worked for the agency under former President Donald Trump, according to GovExec.

The CFPB has even opened a “frivolous” investigation into one top official, forcing them to step aside until the probe concludes, GovExec reported.

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey looks through documents as he walks on Tuesday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Since Chopra would ultimately be tasked with filling the vacancies if he is confirmed, Toomey asked him how much he knew about the alleged scheme.

The CFPB, meanwhile, has stalled in responding to a separate letter Toomey sent to Acting Director Dave Uejio last week. Toomey gave the agency until Monday to answer his questions and until Thursday to provide the committee with relevant records.

The agency hasn’t met either deadline and has asked for additional time.

“It’s unacceptable that CFPB cannot promptly answer simple, straightforward questions from Congress about whether agency leadership has been taking unusual and possibly unlawful actions to push out career employees and replace them with hand-picked loyalists,” Toomey told the DCNF.

A CFPB spokesperson said the agency had received Toomey’s letter and was crafting a response in a statement to the DCNF last week. The spokesperson added that the GovExec report contained factual errors.

“The Bureau takes its responsibilities as a federal employer seriously and complies with all applicable laws concerning federal personnel,” they said.

At least three House Republicans have urged the CFPB inspector general to open an investigation into the matter.

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