The attempt of the holdover leadership of the CFPB to extend its reign over the Bureau is the type of legal maneuver that lawyers love and that makes everyone else hate lawyers. At the end of the day, what the CFPB and its most zealous supporters will accomplish is nothing more than to underscore that the Bureau is an out of control Bureaucracy in desperate need of reform.

When Richard Cordray announced that he was leaving the Bureau at the end of the month, speculation surfaced immediately that the trump administration would name former Congressman and current OMB Director Mick Mulvaney as its Acting Director. Considering that Mulvaney has been an outspoken foe of the Bureau, supporters of the Bureau were understandably upset; but in the words of our previous President, “Elections have consequences.”

Fast forward to Friday. Director Cordray apparently was so anxious to get a jump on his Black Friday shopping that he announced that Leandra English who had previously served as the Chief of Staff as his Deputy Director. When Cordray announced his departure, he effectively designated her as his successor until his five-year term ends in July. In a statement explained that “we will continue to benefit from Leandra’s in-depth knowledge of the operational needs of this agency and its staff.” The White House responded with a statement naming Mulvaney as the Acting Director. English has already filed a lawsuitseeking to block Mulvaney from taking up this position.

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