(KCPW News) Despite opposition from his own party, Republican Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is pushing to have former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray confirmed as director of the newly-created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Shurtleff is one of 36 AGs from across the country that sent a letter to the U.S. Senate today backing President Obama’s nominee.
“We know Rich, we’ve worked with him, we know of his character, of his intellect, his educational background, as well as his track record on protecting consumers, particularly in the financial markets and financial issues,” he told reporters. “And so it’s important to us, I think, as AGs, to lend our support.”
Speaking in a conference call with Nevada’s Democratic Attorney General hosted by the White House, Shurtleff said it’s important for AGs to work closely with the federal government to protect consumers.
He acknowledged that Republicans like him are concerned about oversight of the new agency, and about government regulation in general:
“But in order to make sure that the bad actors are held accountable so that it’s fair for open, free, fair competition that openly benefits the consumers, in this case, those in financial services, then we need that ability to do so,” he said.
Shurtleff said he plans to have further discussions on the issue with Utah Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee as Senate Republicans block Cordray’s confirmation.
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