Online Petition to Put Warren On Banking Panel Gains Momentum

WASHINGTON — The elections may be over, but Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren's fans continue to campaign on her behalf.

Liberal blog Daily Kos and others are circulating petitions pressuring Majority Leader Harry Reid to appoint the Massachusetts Democrat and founder of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

Two Democratic panel members, Sens. Herb Kohl and Daniel Akaka, are retiring, which could open up a slot for the freshman lawmaker. But it remains an open question whether Senate leadership would make the appointment, particularly in the face of strong opposition from the financial services industry. 
 
"Close your eyes, imagine Elizabeth Warren facing down banksters, with subpoena power," says an introduction to the Daily Kos petition.

The petition asks Reid and the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee to assign Warren to the banking panel if she requests a seat. So far, it's garnered 63,291 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.

Warren has not yet publicly expressed interest in a committee assignment.

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