Last week President Joe Biden's nominee to become the Comptroller of the Currency at the Treasury Department, which oversees the banking industry, faced a grilling by Democrat and Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
During her confirmation hearing, Saule Omarova was pressed on everything from her statements about wanting to bankrupt the oil and gas industry to her ideas about eliminating private bank accounts. She was also asked about why her college thesis, "Karl Marx’s Economic Analysis and the Theory of Revolution in The Capital," hasn't been submitted for review by Senators voting on her nomination despite it being touted on her resume for years.
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
According to Axios, Omarova's nomination is all but dead as at least five Democrat Senators plan to vote against her.
The defiant opposition from a broad coalition of senators reflects the real policy concerns they had with Omarova, a Cornell University law professor who's attracted controversy for her academic writings about hemming in big banks.
Their opposition also hints at a willingness of some Democratic senators to buck the White House on an important nomination, even if it hands Republicans a political — and symbolic — victory.
In phone call on Wednesday, Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), all members of the Senate Banking Committee, told Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) — the panel's chairman — of their opposition.
They're joined in opposing her by Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).
Biden officials also have heard directly from the senators. They're aware of their deep opposition and know Omarova faces nearly impossible odds for confirmation.
Just last week, the White House defended Omarova's nomination.