Cordray had a short but impressive run as Ohio Attorney General, taking over for Marc Dann, who resigned after a sexual harassment scandal. Cordray was the very first Attorney General to sue a mortgage servicer over foreclosure fraud and robo-signing, in October 2010. I spoke with Cordray about that lawsuit against GMAC at that time. Unfortunately, he lost his re-election to former Sen. Mike DeWine in 2010, but Warren brought him into CFPB as head of enforcement.

A separate article in the Wall Street Journal said the short list was narrowed to Raj Date, Richard Cordray and Jennifer Granholm. But Granholm already turned down the job, saying Warren deserved it, and she doesn’t work at CFPB. So it’s probably down to Cordray and Date, and in all honesty, I’m fairly sure Date will be nominated. The fact that nobody would leapfrog Warren and take the job was working to constrain the Administration’s options for a time, but once Date expressed willingness, Warren couldn’t very well say no to someone she hired.

Elizabeth Warren faces a House Financial Services Subcommittee today. The hearing is called “Who’s Watching the Watchmen? Oversight of the Consumer Protection Bureau.” It’s chaired by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), one of the more ideological conservatives in Congress, who has been at the forefront of the move to gut the CFPB before it gets off the ground. And in his opening remarks today, he basically accused Warren of lying.

Brian Butler and Eric Kleefeld over at Talking Points Memo have a very good run down on just when the Senate might seat Scott Brown, assuming the Right wing Republican manages to win in the special election that is being held today. As we know from the Roland Burris and Al Franken seatings the Senate has a rule which requires the State certification of election or appointment before a new Senator can be seated.

The Republicans, knowing that Mr. Brown would be the vote they need to endlessly extend debate on the Presidents Health Care Reform legislation have been making all kinds of noise about this issue, claiming that the minute Mr. Brown is elected (if he is) that the current sitting Senator Paul Kirk not cast any more votes. This of course ignores the fact that he is a sitting U.S Senator until his replacement is sworn.