The Reality Behind CFPB Contradictions That Raised Judge’s Ire

A lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to kneecap the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exposed top officials attempting to freeze the agency’s work while assuring a judge the watchdog is still doing tasks mandated by Congress.

Take the CFPB’s consumer complaint database, required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act that created the agency.

The CFPB on Feb. 12 canceled a contract with a small vendor called Adaptus—part of a cost-cutting move under acting chief Russell Vought to end more than $100 million in procurement spending.

The Adaptus contract, valued at around $280,000 in transactions this year, called for the company to ...