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Gibbs Hints at Timing of Consumer Advocate Appointment

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs hinted Friday that an announcement may be coming soon on who will lead the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Gibbs acknowledged during a briefing that Elizabeth Warren — a leading contender for overseeing the new federal agency charged with policing loans that banks sell to individuals — met with White House officials Thursday to discuss the role. Warren is the top choice among liberals, due largely to her criticisms of big Wall Street banks and her tough questioning of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner during hearings before the Troubled Asset Relief Program oversight panel, which Warren chairs.

Despite highlighting that it was Warren who conceptualized the idea for the consumer agency years ago, Gibbs said not to expect “any personnel announcements about this job in the coming week.” But when asked to clarify whether he said “week” or “weeks” before an announcement may happen, Gibbs repeated the former.

“I don’t anticipate anything next week,” he said.

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