WASHINGTON _ Some influential progressive lawmakers are calling on Wall Street to denounce the appointment of Stephen K. Bannon to President-elect Donald Trump's administration.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, and Sherrod Brown, R-Ohio, as well as Reps. Maxine Waters, D-California, and Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, sent a letter to the leaders of various financial services industry groups.
Among the recipients were the leaders of the Financial Services Roundtable, the Securities Industry & Financial Services Association, the Clearinghouse, the National Association of Federal Credit Unions, the Investment Company Institute, the Independent Community Bankers of America, the Credit Union National Association and the Mortgage Bankers Association.
"As leaders in the business community, you have a moral obligation to speak out against this appointment as contrary to the values of this country and to the values of your industry," the Democratic lawmakers wrote.
They went on to cite instances in which Breitbart, the website for which Bannon served as executive chairman, published racially inflammatory and misogynistic headlines, noting that former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke praised his appointment.
Brown and Waters carry a large amount of credibility with the industry as Brown is the top Democrat of the Senate Banking Committee and Waters is the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee.
Conversely, Ellison is currently running to be chairman of the Democratic National Committee and Warren has often been a thorn in the side of the financial services industry.
"This moment is a test of the moral leadership of the banking and finance community," the letter read, adding that Bannon's views would not be welcome in the companies the industry operates.
The statement comes despite the fact that Bannon worked at Goldman Sachs in the 1980s, leaving the company in 1990.
"If you fail to speak up now, it will only empower the Trump Administration to go further down this dangerous path," the letter closed.
