Biden’s banking watchdog pick Saule Omarova must turn over her thesis on Karl Marx, lawmaker demands
Sen. Pat Toomey says he hopes GOP works hard to stop Omarova's confirmation
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Sen. Pat Toomey wants to read Cornell University professor Saula Omarova's thesis on Karl Marx, since Omarova became President Biden's pick to lead the office of Comptroller of the Currency. But the document has been scrubbed from her resume.
Now, after weeks after Omarova was first nominated to the post, Toomey, R-Pa., is again asking for the thesis written during her time at Moscow State University in the 1980s.
Ms. Saule T. Omarova, Professor of Law and Director, Jack Clarke Program on the Law and Regulation of Financial Institutions and Markets, Cornell University. (Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs)
Toomey, the ranking member on the Senate Banking Committee, sent a letter to Omarova on Tuesday pointing out that anyone seeking confirmation from the upper chamber must hand over any reports, books, or other published materials written by the individual.
"Therefore, I write today seeking a copy of your thesis, ‘Karl Marx’s Economic Analysis and the Theory of Revolution in The Capital,’ which you wrote as a student at Moscow State University on the V.I. Lenin Personal Academic Scholarship," the senator wrote. "While it appears that you have deleted any reference to your thesis in the version of your curriculum vitae (CV) that is currently available on the Cornell Law School website, the paper appeared on your CV as recently as April 2017."
Toomey expressed concern in a floor speech Wednesday over Biden selecting Omarova as his pick to be the next chief regulator of U.S. banks, saying he finds many of her views "disturbing" and socialist, pointing to writings last year wherein the professor promoted what he said was "the nationalization" of retail banking.
He said of Omarova, "I don't think I've ever seen a more radical choice for any regulatory spot in our federal government."
Toomey told FOX Business that he is simply making a standard request of Omarova in asking for the thesis, and he reiterated his concerns over her views.
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa. (Sarah Silbiger/The Washington Post via AP, Pool) (AP)
"She, in recent tweets, is favorably comparing the old Soviet Union to the United States of America," Toomey said. "How does anyone process that thought?"
"The Soviet regime was so profoundly evil, and America's so great, and yet, she doesn't appear to see it quite that way," the senator continued. "What I'm concerned about is, what are her views now? What are the policies that she's advocating now? And they're very disturbing."
Toomey went on to say that he would be "shocked" if any of his Republican colleagues would support Omarova's nomination, and added, "Frankly, I would hope there would be significant Democrat opposition to someone who is so hostile to free enterprise, so hostile to the idea of private banking, for instance."
The Wall Street Journal's editorial board wrote last week that Omarova's "radical ideas might make even Bernie Sanders blush," pointing to a number of her views, including the professor's push to create a "National Investment Authority" in the U.S.
According to far-left group Data For Progress, "The NIA would operate alongside the Treasury and the Federal Reserve and directly allocate both public and private capital to clean infrastructure projects that currently do not get funded in private markets on the necessary scale," and "will actively participate in financial markets not only as a lender, guarantor, and market-maker but also as an active asset manager and venture capital investor."
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Omarova did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.
FOX Business' Tyler Olson contributed to this report.