Just days after touting her tough-on-banks record, Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris is facing renewed criticism from California housing advocates for her reluctance to help victims of predatory lending practices when they needed her.
Faith Bautista, president and CEO of the National Asian American Coalition (NAAC), spoke out against Harris's celebration last week of the recently paid out housing settlement in an interview with RealClearPolitics, complaining that she was a "coward" when they needed her to stand up to California's Democratic governor Jerry Brown.
In 2012, Harris and other state attorneys general negotiated a $20 billion settlement with major mortgage lenders over their role in the 2009 financial crisis. While the settlement money was meant to provide relief to struggling homeowners, then-governor Brown had his own plans, diverting $331 million to pay off state debts.
Brown's move outraged the non-profit organizations that the settlement was supposed to help, including Bautista's NAAC, which joined other minority groups in suing Brown over the misspent funds.
From RealClearPolitics' Susan Crabtree:
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11.28.2024