Elizabeth Warren Fires Back After Wall Street Threats

Elizabeth Warren Fires Back After Wall Street Threats
|
Open Image Modal
Senate Banking Committee member Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. listens to testimony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, from Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen. Yellen said Tuesday that the U.S. economy is making steady progress, but the Fed remains patient in raising interest rates because too many Americans are still unemployed, wage growth remains sluggish and inflation is too low. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has a blunt message for the big Wall Street banks that may withhold campaign donations to Senate Democrats in hopes of quieting her calls to break up the banks.

"It will not work," Warren said in a statement emailed to The Huffington Post.

Warren has been a vocal advocate for reining in big banks that she says wield too much power in Washington after their recklessness triggered the 2008 financial meltdown.

Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America have discussed ways to soften Warren's strong tone, Reuters reports, and representatives of some have raised the idea of cutting campaign donations to Democrats. Only Citigroup -- a frequent target of Warren's criticism -- so far is publicly withholding money from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Cutting donations, Warren said, won't end her demands.

"They want a showy way to tell Democrats across the country to be scared of speaking out, to be timid about standing up, and to stay away from fighting for what’s right," Warren wrote. "... I’m not going to stop talking about the unprecedented grasp that Citigroup has on our government’s economic policymaking apparatus ... And I’m not going to pretend the work of financial reform is done, when the so-called 'too big to fail' banks are even bigger now than they were in 2008."

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go