To: NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman
Prosecute Wall Street for Fraud
The only investigation into Wall Street's role in the foreclosure crisis turned out to be a sham. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman promised to walk away from the investigation if it went nowhere. Now's the time to walk away from the make-believe investigation and launch a real investigation.
Why is this important?
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman needs to walk away from the pretend investigation into Wall Street's crimes in the housing market and launch a real investigation.
Progressives calling for an investigation into Wall Street's role in the foreclosure crisis cheered when President Obama announced the creating of a Task Force to investigate fraud in his State of the Union last year. "Progressive hero" Attorney General Eric Schneiderman agreed to be part of the investigation, but threatened to publicly walk away if it failed to produce results.
A year later, the results are in. It's time for Attorney General Schneiderman to walk away from this sham investigation.
In an article today, Schneiderman admits he was "naive" to believe the Justice Department would prosecute big bankers. According to the Huffington Post, "In the months after Schneiderman took office in 2011, large financial institutions and their lawyers said they feared him. Now, some have said privately in interviews that they view him as a nuisance, given the dearth of cases he has brought."
The investigation has proven to be a stalling tactic designed to make progressives think the administration is prosecuting bankers and helping homeowners.
Attorney General Schneiderman can show the public he still believes in justice for bankers and homeowners by refusing to participate in this make-believe investigation. He should do exactly what he said he'd do and walk away.
Instead of giving cover to a banker friendly investigation, Attorney General Schneiderman should use the tools at his disposal as New York's Attorney General to prosecute the bankers.
Progressive organizations like MoveOn that cheered Schneiderman's appointment to the task force should support him as he walks away -- and continue fighting for justice for homeowners and bankers.
Progressives calling for an investigation into Wall Street's role in the foreclosure crisis cheered when President Obama announced the creating of a Task Force to investigate fraud in his State of the Union last year. "Progressive hero" Attorney General Eric Schneiderman agreed to be part of the investigation, but threatened to publicly walk away if it failed to produce results.
A year later, the results are in. It's time for Attorney General Schneiderman to walk away from this sham investigation.
In an article today, Schneiderman admits he was "naive" to believe the Justice Department would prosecute big bankers. According to the Huffington Post, "In the months after Schneiderman took office in 2011, large financial institutions and their lawyers said they feared him. Now, some have said privately in interviews that they view him as a nuisance, given the dearth of cases he has brought."
The investigation has proven to be a stalling tactic designed to make progressives think the administration is prosecuting bankers and helping homeowners.
Attorney General Schneiderman can show the public he still believes in justice for bankers and homeowners by refusing to participate in this make-believe investigation. He should do exactly what he said he'd do and walk away.
Instead of giving cover to a banker friendly investigation, Attorney General Schneiderman should use the tools at his disposal as New York's Attorney General to prosecute the bankers.
Progressive organizations like MoveOn that cheered Schneiderman's appointment to the task force should support him as he walks away -- and continue fighting for justice for homeowners and bankers.