A conservative outlet published a story today about the @CFPB payday memo @nickconfessore & I recently wrote about (story linked) insinuating that the memo was intentionally leaked days before the revised rule was expected to be released 1/5 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/29/business/cfpb-payday-loans-rules.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/2...

Backstory: NYT learned of the memo& #39;s existence shortly after it was written, in Aug. I sent CFPB a FOIA on Aug 19 seeking a copy. I got some records, but the memo itself was withheld on & #39;deliberative process& #39; grounds. Here& #39;s the denial CFPB sent me. 2/5 #page=1">https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/6950-cfpb-payday-memo-foia/8bbdd51419a853185fc2/optimized/full.pdf #page=1">https://int.nyt.com/data/docu...

NYT appealed the denial; we were rejected. Nick & I then started trying to get a copy from other sources. That took a bit. Someone finally passed it on. 3/5

THEN we spent several additional months investigating the claims in the memo, and contacting people named in it and people who worked with the memo& #39;s author, to figure out if it was credible. Our conclusion was that it was. 4/5

We published our reporting, and the memo, so readers (and other journalists!) could dig further.

Interesting footnote: CFPB was expected to release its revised payday rule last month. It hasn& #39;t yet. 5/5