Being before the Senate Housing, Banking & Urban Affairs Committee this Thursday, President Joe Biden’s nominee to be Comptroller of the Currency faced difficult questions from GOP members over her previous comments and actions that have caused eyebrows to go up as Biden keeps standing by his nominee.
Dr. Saule Omarova, who is a Cornell University professor, has faced blunt opposition against her nomination because of her radical statements and opinions. When cornered about her desire for gas and oil companies to be bankrupted, Omarova said it was simply “poor phrasing.”
Dr. Saule Omarova, Biden's nominee for Comptroller of the Currency, is asked about her statement that oil and gas companies "should" go bankrupt in order to address climate change.
Her answer: "That was poor phrasing." pic.twitter.com/jm6sEptlYZ
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) November 18, 2021
Republican Senator Crapo (ID) put the focus on Omarova for her writings that asked for the “debanking” of gas and oil companies to “starve them of their capital sources,” suggesting her comments on the topic were more than just simple clumsy wording.
South Carolina GOP Senator Tim Scott hit back against Democrats’ false claims about “personal attacks” on Omarova, saying that skeptical criticism are all based on her opinions that relate to the job for which she has been nominated. “I cannot see a nominee more terribly suited to be our comptroller of the currency,” he stated.
Senator Scott also read Omarova her own previous writings on a range of topics germane to her possible role at OCC, adding he does not have any questions “because there is nothing you can say today to undo what you have said for years, including this year.”
Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) to Biden's Comptroller of the Currency nominee: "I don't have any questions for you because there's nothing you can say today to undo what you've said for years, including this year." pic.twitter.com/ygIKJWkRZj
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) November 18, 2021
Republican Senator John Kennedy (LA) also grilled Dr. Omarova for her past communist youth group membership when she was in the Soviet Union, along with her past writings about the fossil and banking fuel industries. “I do not know whether to say you are a professor or a comrade,” he said, also mentioning the fact that Omarova refused to hand over her thesis from Moscow University to the GOP.
Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) grills Biden nominee Saule Omarova on allegations of past membership in communist groups: "I don't know whether to call you professor or comrade." pic.twitter.com/XjcAeawBBl
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) November 18, 2021
President Joe Biden continues to support Omarova, and even doubled down with his support during calls from the GOP to withdraw her nomination. “Saule Omarova is very qualified and was nominated for this job because of her efforts for financial regulation, including within the private sector, in government and as a top academic in the field,” a White House comment said. “The White House strongly supports her crucial nomination.”
From colleague Tyler Olson. Tester met w/Omarova but still has concerns. Tester: Some of Dr. Omarova’s past statements about the role of government in the financial system raise real concerns about her ability to impartially serve at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) November 18, 2021
Author: Scott Dowdy
