New Court Filings Offer Damning Indictment of Trump-Musk Effort to Deceive a Federal Judge and Dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
February 28, 2025 | WASHINGTON, D.C. — Late last night, 12 current and former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) officials filed declarations in a federal court case that seeks to protect the CFPB from a relentless, weeks-long assault by Trump Administration appointees including Elon Musk and Acting CFPB Director Russ Vought. This assault has resulted in the illegal firing of federal consumer protection officials and a series of “stop work” orders that have suspended critical agency supervision and law enforcement functions. Just yesterday, the agency dropped consumer protection lawsuits against some of the nation’s largest financial corporations, spanning the credit card, mortgage, and student loan industries.
Taken together, declarations by these current and former CFPB officials document a shocking range of lies, half-truths, and deceptions by the Trump Administration officials tasked with administering federal consumer financial laws and directing the consumer watchdog agency. These declarations include:
- Alex Doe. Describes meetings in which acting CFPB Chief Human Capital Officer Adam Martinez details plans to “wind down” the CFPB and “carry out the closure of the agency.”
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.2.pdf
- Blake Doe. Describes meetings in which Martinez details his plans for “wind down mode,” transferring functions to other agencies, and returning CFPB funds.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.3.pdf
- Charlie Doe. Contracting officer who describes a rush to accomplish the “wholesale termination of the contracts needed to keep the CFPB running”— setting aside all regular protocols, risking loss of data, and resulting in harm that can’t be undone once final.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.4.pdf
- Drew Doe. Describes recent actions to ensure that the Bureau does “not exist”—to close down all agency systems, delete data, fire all staff, and reduce the CFPB to a “room” in the White House or another agency “with five men and a phone.”
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.5.pdf
- Adam Scott (current CFPB Director of Digital Services). The CFPB’s Director of Digital Services establishes that “the decision to delete the homepage was made by Acting Director Vought, and it was not an error,” and that authorization to repair the site—consumers’ main access point—was denied.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.6.pdf
- Matthew Pfaff (current CFPB Chief of Staff, Consumer Response). The CFPB’s Chief of Staff of the Office of Consumer Response details inaccuracies in the Martinez declaration. Contra Martinez, “operations related to the Consumer Complaint Database” are not “continuing” and have not remained “intact and operational.”
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.7_1.pdf
- Brian Shearer (current CFPB Head of Policy Planning). The current head of CFPB’s Office of Policy Planning details how atypical the dismantling of the Bureau is compared to normal transitions, and details inaccuracies in the Martinez declaration.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.8.pdf
- Erie Meyer (former CFPB Chief Technologist). The CFPB’s former Chief Technologist highlights mishandled data retention practices, the mass cancellation of cyber-security contracts, serious risk of data loss in violation of the Court’s Order, and the current inability of consumers to receive help.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.9.pdf
- Julia Barnard (former Student Loan Ombudsman). The CFPB’s former Student Loan Ombudsman describes her responsibilities as Student Loan Ombudsman and CFPB’s halted efforts to help Pastor Eva Steege. She also highlights concerns about shirking statutory duties, contra the Martinez declaration.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.10.pdf
- Lorelei Salas (former CFPB Supervision Director). The CFPB’s former Supervision Director details the irreversible and lasting effects of the unprecedented decision to halt all of the Bureau’s statutorily required supervision activity.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.11.pdf
- Eric Halperin (former CFPB Enforcement Director). The CFPB’s former Enforcement Director supplements his earlier declaration with further information on the severe curtailment and unraveling of enforcement operations and its lasting effects.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.12.pdf
- Seth Frotman (former CFPB General Counsel). The CFPB’s former General Counsel addresses the numerous statutory obligations the Bureau is failing to perform under the current work stoppage.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287/gov.uscourts.dcd.277287.38.13.pdf
In addition to these declarations by current and former CFPB staff, attorneys defending the CFPB filed declarations by NAACP member Juanita West-Tillman documenting the direct financial consequences of a diminished CFPB on her life as she seeks to recover from the wildfires in southern California. CFPB Staff Association leader Christina Coll also filed a declaration documenting the harm the CFPB’s shutdown has and will continue to impose on the Association’s members.
Further Reading
Consumer Federation of America and SBPC memo detailing 38 enforcement actions abandoned by CFPB Leadership: Trump and Vought Desert Consumers and Working Families Amid Violations by Predatory Financial Companies
National Treasury Employees Union et al. lawsuit against Trump for illegally shutting down CFPB: Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s Illegal Effort to Shut Down CFPB
SBPC and Consumer Federation of America (CFA) memo identifying 87 congressionally imposed mandates Director Vought is refusing to perform: Advocates Applaud Lawsuits Challenging Trump and Vought’s Corrupt and Unlawful Attempt to “Delete” Consumer Watchdog Agency, CFPB
SBPC memo on Twitter/X payments: Twitter/X Payments: Public Corruption Poses Risks for Consumers and Competition
SBPC blog on Musk and DOGE illegal attempt to “delete” CFPB: Elon and DOGE Are Attempting To Illegally “Delete” the CFPB, Here Is Why This Matters To Student Loan Borrower
SBPC press release on CFPB Director Chopra’s firing: CFPB Director Chopra’s Firing Tops Oligarchs’ Wishlist, Foreshadows Swing in Consumer Agency Priorities to Benefit Big Banks and Billionaires
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About Student Borrower Protection Center
Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) is a nonprofit organization focused on eliminating the burden of student debt for millions of Americans. We engage in advocacy, policymaking, and litigation strategy to rein in industry abuses, protect borrowers’ rights, and advance racial and economic justice.
Learn more at protectborrowers.org or follow SBPC on Twitter @theSBPC.