Sheriff Tom Dart — Working Class Hero

Cook County (Illinois) Sheriff Tom Dart has ordered his deputies to stop all mortgage foreclosure evictions. He gave this order today, after so much publicity about mortgage fraud and robo-signed foreclosure documents.

Referring to Mortgagegate, Sheriff Dart said:

“This is so outrageous and these poor families are being put through this day in and day out by people that don't do their jobs. It's so hard for me to stomach these people because this isn't just their bike we're taking away or their car. It's their house.”

There’s speculation that Sheriff Dart will be running for Mayor of Chicago, one of several candidates competing against Rahm Emanuel.

In other Mortgagegate news: The Obama Administration is vowing to hold investigations of banks engaging in foreclosure fraud. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said:

“As institutions are determining their next steps in addressing these issues, we remain committed to holding accountable any bank that has violated the law.” A few frog marches and perp walks would be nice, but don’t hold your breath.