Institute for Liberty condemns members of the press who aided a progressive, anti short-term lending organization

WASHINGTON, D.C. — SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 – Today the Institute for Liberty’s President Andrew Langer released the following statement in response to reports that four journalists cooperated with the progressive Consumer for Responsible Lending in crafting messaging.

“I am outraged and disgusted that these so-called 'objective' journalists from some of the most-respected news organizations around the world would participate in an event that explicitly pushed a political agenda. This conference on September 12, sponsored by the left-wing advocacy group Center for Responsible Lending, focused on ‘messaging’ that organization's narrow vision of bank reform, and their ultimate goal of destroying the for-profit short-term lending industry. Reporters who participated in the off-the-record, behind-closed-doors session were: Danielle Douglas of The Washington Post, Alan Zibel of The Wall Street Journal, Kate Davidson of Politico, and Rachel Witkowski of The American Banker.

The Society of Professional Journalists in their Code of Ethics warns against the creation of conflicts of interest that reporters can face, and, in our view, crossing the line from objective reporting to outright advocacy breaches that code.

We call on the Ombudsmen from Politico, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The American Banker to investigate the respective reporters’ participation and review their outlet’s ethics rules about speaking at such an overtly political and advocacy-focused conference. We suspect that these reporters were invited to speak as they have all written on this issue before, mostly with a slanted view of the left’s narrative to shut down perfectly legitimate industries, like the short-term loan industry, through Operation Choke Point. Do they know that CRL and its leader, Martin Eakes, receive millions of taxpayer dollars in government funding to offer an alternative to payday and short-term lending?

The hallmark – the lifeblood – of any free society is an independent and objective press. The idea that journalists are allowing themselves to be co-opted by government-funded organizations to push that pro-government agenda smacks of propagandizing – the very kind of propagandizing that kills liberty and destroys free societies."

IFL is an aggressive defender of the rights of individuals to pursue the American dream. They inject the perspective of small businesses, and the working families that depend on them, into the public policy debate.

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CFPB Field Hearing Ignores Consumer Complaints
Institute for Liberty condemns consumer bureau’s ignoring of its own complaints

 EL PASO, TEXAS — JULY 17, 2014 – Today the Institute for Liberty’s President Andrew Langer at the CFPB Field Hearing for consumer complaints in El Paso, TX, released the following statement in response to the agency’s rogue policies, which are devastating consumers and obstructing America’s economic future:

 “The CFPB held a field hearing on an enhanced program for collecting consumer complaints against free-market industries, but continues to ignores and sometimes silence, complaints against its own activities. The CFPB has proven repeatedly that they are a rogue agency, interested only in political maneuvers and aggregating bureaucratic power, while they turn a blind eye to the consumer-stifling effects of their behavior. Instead of using consumers as pawns to promote their own political agenda, the CFPB should be listening to the multitudes of consumer voices that have been for months crying out against the agency’s abuses of power.

The CFPB’s own house is not in order. The agency has proved its own internal chaos by perpetuating a racist work environment, proposing extravagant budgets for a new agency building, and unconstitutionally collecting mass quantities of consumer financial data. The CFPB has even secretly payed audience members to attend filed hearings in order to fabricate an illusion of public support for the agency. 

The most egregious complaint against the Bureau is the existence of rampant racial discrimination at the Bureau. After being reported by a staff whistle blower, Director Cordray is alleged to have tried silence her testimony and Democrats on the Hill have tried to prevent Congressional hearings on the matter. The CFPB’s reckless catalogue of behavior must end immediately if America is to regain individual liberty and hope for economic prosperity for future generations. The CFPB must listen to the voices of consumers and end its attack on our freedom.”

Recently, Americans have witnessed the utter disregard for the Rule of Law Attorney General Eric Holder has displayed with regards to the IRS scandal. Instead of appointing an independent special prosecutor, the Attorney General continues his hyper-partisan cover-ups of the Obama Administration. And it is not the first time he's done so.

Two years ago Eric Holder was held civilly and criminally in contempt by the United States Congress for stonewalling and withholding release of important documents related to the failed "Fast and Furious" program that resulted in the loss of innocent lives. It was the first time in American history that a member of the President's cabinet was held in contempt in a bipartisan vote at the House of Representatives. Furthermore, the Attorney General is behind the targeting of law-abiding free-market industries under the "Operation Choke Point" probe we've highlighted before. A probe that circumvents Congress, is undoubtedly extralegal, and punishes private industries the Administration does not like.

It is evident that Eric Holder is the most partisan Attorney General in American history. His extreme disregard to upholding the laws and his advancement of a far-Left agenda has greatly damaged the American system. For these reasons, we are advocating for Eric Holder's impeachment.

You can join our efforts by following us on Twitter and using the hashtag: #ImpeachHolder

It's time we push back and defend America's right to be free!