Article snippet: Senior White House officials insisted Saturday that President Trump is legally allowed to appoint an acting director for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which is an independent agency. Officials say Trump has the right to supersede an appointment by the exiting director. The officials called Trump’s appointment of Office of Management and Budget Director MORE to lead the CFPB “a typical, routine move” in line with years of precedent. ADVERTISEMENT Trump appointed Mulvaney on Friday night to serve as acting director of the CFPB, hours before former Director Richard Cordray left the agency. Cordray promoted his chief of staff Leandra English to the deputy director position before leaving. The conflicting appointments mean there are two people who can claim to be the acting director of one federal agency. The Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, which established the CFPB, calls on the agency’s deputy director to serve as acting director until the president appoints and the Senate confirms a permanent replacement. But senior administration officials said Saturday that the Federal Vacancies Act of 1998 empowers Trump to override the CFPB’s line of succession with his own pick. The officials spoke to reporters during a Saturday call under the condition of anonymity. The Vacancies Act allows the president to appoint any Senate-confirmed officer as the acting director or secretary of a federal agency or department. Legal experts say it’s unclear whether English o... Link to the full article to read more