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FIRST ON FOX: Progressive Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., joined his fellow Democrats this week in blaming a 2018 bank account for the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), despite the fact that the company where his lobbyist wife works strongly advocated for the passage of the bill.
Sydney Barron Gallego, who has worked for the National Association of Realtors since 2019, did not lobbied directly for the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, but the organization’s then president, Elizabeth Mendenhall, sent a letter to Senate lawmakers in March 2018 praised the legislation.
“The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act contains a number of favorable provisions for the housing industry, including expanding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s use of alternative credit score models; Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, holding loans more accountable; and improving access to manufactured housing, as well as easing credit through reduced regulatory burdens for smaller community banks and credit unions,” Mendenhall wrote in the letter.
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT ACCUSES SINEMA OF BEING FUNDED BY ‘DEP-POCKETED LOBBYISTS’ DESPITE OWN INDUSTRY LINKS
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) speaks at a campaign event in Grant Park on Saturday, January 28, 2023 in Phoenix, Ariz. (Cassidy Araiza for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“Brokers® believe that financial regulation should be balanced with appropriate consumer protections, and we believe this bill accomplishes that goal; we urge Congress and the administration to enact S. 2155 into law,” she added.
Contrary to her employer’s stance on the legislation, Gallego’s wife “liked” a Tuesday tweet from her husband calling Senator Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.
Gallego, who is challenging Sinema in the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Arizona, continued his criticism Tuesday afternoon as he spoke to reporters outside the SVB offices in Tempe. “When push came to shove, and the vote came down, I voted to protect Arizona and she voted to protect Wall Street,” he said.
DEMOCRATIC REP. GALLEGO HIRED STAFF WITH A HISTORY OF ANTI-POLICE TWEETS TO RUN THE 2024 SENATE CAMPAIGN
Sydney Barron Gallego, the wife of Representative Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., “liked” a tweet from her husband criticizing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., for a 2018 bill that he blamed admitted of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank last week, despite her employer lobbying in support of the bill. (Screenshot/Twitter)
The bill, which passed with bipartisan support before being signed into law by former President Donald Trump, has come back into the picture after revelations that many Democrats and Republicans who voted for it received thousands of dollars in contributions from SVB and its lobbyists ahead of the vote. .
Sinema’s congressional campaigns got a a total of $9,350 between 2012 and 2018 from Matthew Tanielian, Joshua Ackil and Brian Peters, lobbyists for SVB at the time; however, she has called on the federal government to hold accountable those responsible for the collapse, as well as the continued stability of the banking system.
This isn’t the first time Gallego has gone after Sinema since he launched his Senate campaign earlier this year. In January, he accused her of being funded by “entrenched lobbyists,” despite his own industry ties through campaign-related activities and his wife’s employment.
2024 CHALLENGER RUBEN GALLEGO ACCUSES KYRSTEN SINEMA OF FAILING BIDEN’S CALL TO NEGOTIATE MEDICARE
Senator Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., attends a marker of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs at the Dirksen Building on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Sinema filed paperwork to run as an independent after her departure from the Democratic Party in December, but has not officially said whether she will run for re-election.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Gallego and Sinema representatives for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_cg.