The former chairman and CEO of Equifax is still scheduled to testify before two congressional committees next week about the company’s mammoth data breach despite stepping down on Tuesday, according to lawmakers and aides on Capitol Hill.
The Atlanta-based credit processing company announced Rick Smith had retired on Tuesday morning effective immediately, with the head of its Asian operations stepping in as interim CEO. The new leadership came several weeks after Equifax said hackers stole the sensitive personal information of 143 million customers earlier this summer.
Within hours of Smith’s departure, representatives from the two committees slated to question Smith said he was still scheduled to attend.
“Mr. Smith will still testify before this committee on Oct. 3,” the House Energy and Commerce Committee tweeted.
A spokeswoman for the Senate Banking Committee said nothing has changed regarding the panel’s Oct. 4 hearing with Smith.
Senate Democrats were particularly swift in expressing their desire that Smith keep his dates to testify on Capitol Hill.
“Equifax executives cannot be allowed to wash their hands of this while millions of Americans are left to deal with the consequences,” said Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee.
Republicans have generally been more cautious in their statements following news of the Equifax breach, but even they said it would be wise for Smith to appear before members of Congress.
“I don’t think retirement immunizes you from responsibility,” said Georgia Republican Johnny Isakson, who previously indicated he would like to hear Equifax’s side of the story before recommending any cybersecurity legislation following the breach.
“He definitely should come to (Capitol Hill) and be held to account for what his corporation did and what they didn’t do, which is to notify the public promptly of the breach,” said U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia.
Other congressional committees have announced their own inquiries into the Equifax breach, as well as the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The FBI and Atlanta-based U.S. Attorney John Horn are also probing the case, as are several dozen attorneys general, including Georgia's.
