Who's Leading the CFPB? Trump Tees Up Clash Over Acting Director

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CFPB Director Richard Cordray. Credit: Diego M. Radzinschi / ALM [/caption] Updated at 9:52 p.m. The Trump administration late Friday set up a clash over the leadership of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, installing an acting director hours after Richard Cordray told the agency his chief of staff would assume the role at the moment of his departure. Cordray named Leandra English as deputy director, setting her up to become acting director after Cordray's departure. Cordray sent out his resignation letter to staff on Friday, moving up his planned departure a week. His resignation is effective midnight on Friday. Cordray said in a separate letter to the CFPB on Friday: "In considering how to ensure an orderly succession for this independent agency, I determined that it would be best to avoid leaving this key position filled only in an acting capacity. In consultation over the past few days, I have also come to recognize that appointing the current chief of staff to the deputy director position would minimize operational disruption and provide for a smooth transition given her operational expertise." Hours after Cordray's announcement, President Donald Trump said Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, would serve as acting director of the CFPB. The move set up a clash over the leadership of the agency. "If there ends up being a dispute about who’s the rightful head of the CFPB, the final say will rest with the courts. And if the courts follow the text, structure, and history of Dodd-Frank, it’s clear what they should say: Leandra English is currently the acting Director of the CFPB," Brianne Gorod, chief counsel to the Constitutional Accountability Center, wrote late Friday at the blog Take Care. [falcon-embed src="embed_1"] Read more:What Lawyers Are Saying About Richard Cordray's CFPB Departure PlansWho's Hiring from the CFPB? These Law Firms Showed Interest.Anthony Alexis, Enforcement Chief at CFPB, Is Leaving AgencyThe CFPB, Often a Winner in Court, Hit a Rough Patch This SummerThe CFPB Is Losing a Trial Court Ally in the US Justice Department