The head of a banking association says that all Hillary Clinton's talk about regulating Wall Street is just because of Bernie Sanders, and that if she is elected she will be "Mrs. Wall Street."
"She’s gonna all of a sudden become Mrs. Wall Street if she’s elected. So it’s all Bernie theatrics right now," Camden Fine, the head of the Independent Community Bankers of America, told the Morning Consult. "She’s a Clinton, for God’s sake. What do you expect?"
The comments from Fine echo the message from Bernie Sander's campaign that he is the only candidate that would really fight Wall Street.
Fine hits on a point that Clinton fought Tuesday night at the first Democratic presidential debate: that she is too close to Wall Street.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Clinton was being "kind of naïve" when she told bad actors on Wall Street to "cut it out."
"In my view, Secretary Clinton, you do not — Congress does not regulate Wall Street. Wall Street regulates Congress," Sanders said, a line that garnered big applause.
The comments from Fine, who is one of the most powerful bank lobbyists in Washington, are more evidence of the challenge Clinton faces in convincing voters that she will stick to her campaign platform regarding Wall Street if elected president.
Clinton’s plan for regulating Wall Street, released last week, didn’t embrace the far left’s favorite proposal: to bring back the Glass-Steagall Act, which would break up big banks. But it did make clear that Clinton would adhere to regulations outlined in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, particularly the increased scrutiny of large financial institutions.
Fine added that he would be "fine" with Clinton's level of Wall Street regulation.