Dodd 'fine' with Warren as special adviser to consumer board

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd said Thursday that he is "fine" with Elizabeth Warren's reported appointment as a special adviser to the newly created consumer protection agency. 

Media reports Wednesday indicated that President Obama will appoint the Harvard Law professor to a special position to oversee the agency's creation, thereby avoiding a possibly tough confirmation hearing while allowing her to help establish the agency. 

Dodd (D-Conn.), who has expressed skepticism over Warren's confirmability, approved of the idea but said the agency still needs a permanent head.

"Well, no, that's fine, we just need to get a director," he told reporters on Capitol Hill. "It needs a director; it needs a leader. I thought the administration would send Elizabeth Warren's name.

"What I gather is Elizabeth will be some sort of adviser in all this."

Liberal groups have pressed the White House to appoint Warren, who is credited with developing the idea for the agency that is a key part of the financial reform law, to head the bureau.

In recent weeks, she appeared to be the front-runner for the position, meeting with banking groups and White House officials.

But some Republicans have remained skeptical of a Warren-led agency. Despite her current appointment, observers believe it is still possible for Obama to appoint Warren on a permanent basis.

Dodd reiterated his worries about her confirmability, but did not question her qualifications to lead the agency.

"I'm hopeful in the next period of time, we can get a nominee and hold some hearings," he said, later adding, "I think she is qualified, I'm just not sure that she is confirmable."