Speaking at the American Bankers Association conference on Wednesday, Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) expressed some…strong feelings about Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
On Wednesday, the Congressman, who is a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, called Warren “the Darth Vader of the financial services world” and told an audience of bankers that they needed to “find a way to neuter” her, according to a tweet by Washington Examiner writer Joseph Lawler.
Warren responded to being likened to the Star Wars villain on MSNBC with the following invitation: “If Wall Street and their buddies in the Republican party want to launch an assault on financial regulations…all I can say is, let’s have that fight. I’m ready. I am not backing down.”
The Senator has long represented the progressive wing of the Democratic party, arguing for greater regulation of financial institutions and legislation to combat income inequality.
Luetkemeyer, on the other hand, recently sponsored the CLEAR Act, a bill that would deregulate community banks. He has also led multiple congressional efforts to protect the “payday loan” industry, which targets low-income individuals with ultra-high interest rates that some consider to be exploitative, according to left-leaning news site AlterNet.