McKinsey gives Buttigieg permission to release client list

Consulting firm McKinsey & Company will allow Mayor Pete Buttigieg to release the list of clients he served while working for the company from 2007 to 2010, the Buttigieg campaign confirmed Monday.

Why it matters: Buttigieg has faced increased scrutiny for his time at McKinsey, especially in light of reports that the powerful firm helped Immigration and Customs Enforcement find “detention savings opportunities,” among other controversial projects. Buttigieg, who says he was mostly "making a lot of spreadsheets and PowerPoints" during his short time at the company, had been blocked from discussing his clients by a confidentiality agreement.

The big picture: Buttigieg's work at the secretive firm has also put him at odds with 2020 rival Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who recently released her former client list from her time working in corporate and legal consulting.

• Buttigieg responded to pressure from Warren and others to be more "transparent" by vowing to make his future fundraisers open to the press and to release a list of the people who are fundraising for him.
• Buttigieg also released a timeline of his work at McKinsey last Friday. The mayor claims he's "never worked on a project inconsistent with [his] values."

What they're saying:

"[W]e recognize the unique circumstances presented by a presidential campaign. After receiving permission from the relevant clients, we have informed Mayor Buttigieg that he may disclose the identity of the clients he served while at McKinsey from 2007 to 2010. Any description of his work for those clients still must not disclose confidential, proprietary or classified information obtained during the course of that work, or violate any security clearance.

We can further confirm that the clients Mayor Buttigieg described in his statement on Friday, December 6 are all of the clients he served during his time at McKinsey."

Go deeper ... Podcast: Mayor Pete's McKinsey problem