AOC, Warren team up for new video pressing Mnuchin over Sears bankruptcy
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., released another joint video Thursday in which they pressed Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin over his role in Sears' 2018 bankruptcy -- implying that he made money off of American workers' hardships.
Americans, Warren argued, deserved a "Treasury secretary who fights for them -- not someone who spent a decade raking in cash for himself at the expense of hundreds of thousands of Sears employees."
The video highlighted ties between Mnuchin and Eddie Lampert, Mnuchin's old college roommate and the subject of a lawsuit claiming he improperly stripped Sears of its assets. Lampert, the former CEO and Chairman of Sears, appointed Mnuchin, also named in the lawsuit, to Sears' board before driving "the company into the ground," Ocasio-Cortez claimed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He is a walking example of what happens when rich and powerful people put other rich and powerful people into power," Ocasio-Cortez said of Mnuchin.
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The progressive lawmakers implied that Lampert either intentionally or carelessly saddled the department store with debt, allowing him to make "billions" while millions of people lost their jobs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Instead of investing in the company, he sucked about $6 billion in value out of it," Warren said of Lampert, "and then did stock buybacks which certainly made him a lot of money."
In a letter sent on Thursday, Warren and Ocasio-Cortez gave Mnuchin until June 13 to provide answers to questions related to his work with Lampert. It also questioned whether, as a Treasury official, he engaged in any unethical behavior related to Sears.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We are deeply concerned by the financial engineering and potentially illegal activity that took place at Sears Holding Corporation while you served on the company's board," the letter read.
"In addition, we are concerned that, as Treasury Secretary, you are in position to take actions that benefit Sears' shareholders and owners at the expense of workers and taxpayers."
At the end of the video, Warren and Ocasio-Cortez portrayed themselves as fighters for the American people. "We think the American people deserve answers and we're out there to fight for them," Warren said, as Ocasio-Cortez nodded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Treasury Department did not respond to Fox News' request for comment.
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It's unclear how Mnuchin will respond, although he's already pushed back on another congressional demand relating to President Trump's tax information. The lawmakers' letter was the latest in a series of Democratic efforts to investigate the Trump administration as the 2020 election approaches.
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Warren, a 2020 hopeful, reportedly sought Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement and has tried to highlight their relationship in joint videos. The two adopted a lighter tone when they discussed the "Game of Thrones" finale during another video released on Tuesday.
During that video, they seemed to unify behind criticism that the show missed its shot at providing viewers with a feminist ending.