Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) joined the effort to persuade President Obama to appoint Elizabeth Warren to head the Consumer Financial Bureau in an interview with the Huffington Post on Saturday. Earlier that day, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) said he was endorsing Warren for the position and has made his position known to the White House, as has Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
More than 60 House members have called on the president to nominate Warren and more than 160,000 people have signed an online petition.
"I really like Elizabeth Warren," said Franken, adding that he often had her on as a guest on his talk-radio show. "Her work on bankruptcy is what put her on our radar at the show in 2005."
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) has questioned whether she'd be able to get 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, though the statute would allow the president to appoint her on an indefinite basis until a nominee is confirmed.
Franken said he wasn't sure whether the White House wanted the fight. "The White House has to decide if they want a confirmation fight. I don't know what their considerations are. In my consideration, I think Elizabeth would be the best," he said.
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