Brown, Warren Support Obama Naming Consumer Chief

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown says he's supporting President Obama's decision to name Richard Cordray as the nation's chief consumer watchdog despite the objections of Brown's fellow Senate Republicans.

Brown said in a statement Wednesday that while he would have strongly preferred the appointment go through the normal confirmation process, the political system is completely broken.

In 2010, Brown wrote to the president strongly urging him not to bypass the Senate. Last year Brown split with fellow GOP senators in calling for an up or down vote on Cordray.

Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren also praised Obama, calling Cordray an "exceptional choice" to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Warren, a Harvard professor and consumer advocate, led the push for the new agency and was briefly considered as a candidate to head it.