One of Donald Trump's two platforms when he ran for president was #DrainTheSwamp, Samantha Bee noted on Wednesday's Full Frontal (the other being, cruelly, Chris Christie). Trump specifically railed against the influence of Wall Street and, in particular, Goldman Sachs. Everybody loved the swamp-draining idea, except some alligator-loving environmentalists (and Trump himself). "Well, good news, gator-huggers," Bee said. "Trump was lying!" Of the five Goldman Sachs alumni Trump has picked for his inner circle, Bee focused on Steven Mnuchin, the nominee for treasury secretary. His Senate confirmation hearing is Thursday, she noted, though he has already given himself the job on his Yale alumni directory profile.
After getting rich on Wall Street, Mnuchin went to Hollywood and bankrolled movies like Suicide Squad. But the most problematic title on his résumé is "foreclosure king." During the great recession of 2008, "Steve Mnuchin took a crash and turned it into a crash-ortunity," Bee said. The bank he bought and renamed OneWest subsequently foreclosed on 36,000 people, specializing in "widow foreclosures" on reverse mortgages. Bee showed a few of the sadder foreclosure tales from OneWest's rampage. The bank's future now lies in the hands of the Housing and Urban Development Department — and thus, probably, Dr. Ben Carson. Bee despaired.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraudSpeed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strikeSpeed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
-
US economy still strong in final preelection reportSpeed Read It grew at a solid 2.8% annual rate from July through September
-
Boeing machinists reject deal, continue strikeSpeed Read The rejection came the same day Boeing reported a $6.2 billion quarterly loss
-
Ports reopen after dockworkers halt strikeSpeed Read The 36 ports that closed this week, from Maine to Texas, will start reopening today
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homesSpeed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bidSpeed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
