SEC Chairman Gensler under investigation for hiring U.S. House members based on political leanings

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have accused the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of hiring people based on political leanings, and have called on Gary Gensler to step down.
On the 10th, Republican Senators Jim Jordan, Patrick McHenry, and James Comer filed a criminal complaint against Gensler, a Democrat.
In a letter to the SEC, they criticized the agency for "hiring individuals from left-leaning organizations for positions at the SEC." They also accused Gensler of "reducing the number of people who have been hired by the SEC through emails made public during the SEC rulemaking process."
He claimed that Zhu's political leanings may have influenced his hiring of Dr. Haoxiang Zhu, head of the securities trading and markets department.
According to the letter, in a May 2021 email, Dr. Zhu told Gensler that he was on the right side of the political spectrum, and then six months later in 2021
The letter states, "This allegation suggests that the SEC illegally considers the political leanings of applicants when hiring public officials," and "We cannot justify the allegation if it is true."
"If that were to happen, the SEC would be filled with people with particular views, and this would undermine the impartiality of the SEC," he added.
Republican lawmakers have recommended that Gensler serve as SEC chief after April 17, 2021.
The SEC demanded that the department provide all documents and communications related to the hiring and personnel decisions of its direct-subordinate employees, as well as any assessments of the applicants' political leanings or ideologies.
Gensler has until 5 p.m. on September 24 to turn over the information to the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Jim Jordan.