West Side Congressman Jerry Nadler and the rest of the New York Democratic Congressional Delegation have sent a letter to the Tom Miller, the Iowa attorney general, castigating him for removing New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman from the mortgage settlement negotiations.
Schneiderman has opposed efforts by other states and by the Obama administration to negotiate a foreclosure settlement with the banks and so was kicked off the executive committee of state officials working to put together a deal.
“As members of the New York congressional delegation, we are united in fighting for a fair resolution of the housing crisis that has devastated tens of thousands of families across our state,” the members of Congress wrote. “That is why we are deeply troubled by your recent action to silence New York’s voice by removing New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman from an executive committee negotiating a nationwide settlement with the banks. We ask that you explain how New York’s interests will be protected as negotiations move forward.”
Miller had told Bloomberg News that Schneiderman ”has actively worked to undermine the very same multistate group that it had spent the previous nine months working very closely with and that his behavior “simply doesn’t make sense, is unprecedented and is unacceptable.”
Full letter from the delegation below:
The Honorable Tom Miller
Attorney General
1305 East Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
Dear Attorney General Miller:
As members of the New York congressional delegation, we are united in fighting for a fair resolution of the housing crisis that has devastated tens of thousands of families across our state. That is why we are deeply troubled by your recent action to silence New York’s voice by removing New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman from an executive committee negotiating a nationwide settlement with the banks. We ask that you explain how New York’s interests will be protected as negotiations move forward.
New York’s homeowners and investors have been hit hard by the economic impact of wrongdoing related to the mortgage crisis. According to the FBI, New York ranked as one of the top ten states for known or suspected mortgage fraud activity for two consecutive years. It also was one of the top ten states for reports of mortgage fraud across all originations in 2010. Undoubtedly, our state, the third largest in the nation, deserves a seat at any negotiating table that could potentially limit our state’s ability to investigate and penalize wrongdoing done within our borders.
Raising legitimate concerns about elements of the proposed settlement is a responsibility of every member of the executive committee and should never be the basis for silencing a viewpoint. Your removal of Attorney General Schneiderman sets a dangerous precedent for other attorneys general who, out of fear of what might happen, may choose silence over voicing valid concerns with particular aspects of the proposed settlement. Moreover, your attempt to banish opposition rather than address varying viewpoints undermines both the validity of the process and any settlement reached by the committee.
New York deserves adequate representation during the remainder of the mortgage settlement negotiations. We look forward to hearing how you will ensure that New York’s voice is heard.
Sincerely,
Jerrold Nadler
Carolyn Maloney
Maurice Hinchey
Joseph Crowley
Edolphus Towns
Carolyn McCarthy
Jose Serrano
Gary Ackerman
Timothy Bishop
Eliot Engel
Charles Rangel
Nita Lowey
Louise Slaughter
Paul Tonko
Gregory Meeks
Bill Owens
Yvette Clarke
Kathleen Hochul
Brian Higgins
Nydia Velazquez
Steve Israel
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