Sam Brownback called out for distorting think tank’s take on car loans

After a recent stunt, U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback has lost the ability to complain that his words were taken out of context. Ever.

On Monday, the head of a think tank sent a letter to the Pentagon in response to a suspect piece of correspondence that Brownback sent on Friday. Brownback is leading an effort in the Senate to exempt automobile dealers from new consumer protection rules. Mindful of troops stuck with sleazy car loans, Defense officials want the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency to regulate auto sales.

Brownback’s letter badgers the Pentagon to come up with evidence in support of its position that financial readiness equals mission readiness. It also distorts recent public comments made by Raj Date, the executive director of the Cambridge Winter Center for Financial Institutions Policy, a nonpartisan think tank.