JEFF COHEN, jeff@rootsaction.org
NORMAN SOLOMON, norman@rootsaction.org
Cohen and Solomon co-founded the group RootsAction.org, which led the progressive opposition to Neera Tanden’s nomination as head of the Office of Management and Budget.

They issued a statement Tuesday just after her nomination was withdrawn, saying they are “heartened that she will not be OMB director. The opposition of Republican senators over nasty tweets was of course hypocritical and absurd, given their muted response to years of Trump’s tweeting. But it was inexcusable for Democratic senators to be silent about the legitimate reasons to oppose her nomination — the potential conflicts of interest raised by her years of coziness with powerful corporate elites. That silence may be explained by the fact that Democrats in the Senate are beholden to some of the same corporate donors that lavishly bankroll Tanden’s think tank. Tanden was the wrong choice to head a federal agency that is vital in the regulatory process. It strains credulity to contend that she would have been a true advocate for the public interest after many years of dutifully serving corporate interests.”

RootsAction began its nationwide campaign to defeat the Tanden nomination on Jan. 3.

Cohen was on The Young Turks minutes before Tanden’s nomination was withdrawn.