Elizabeth Warren wants a Valentine’s Day present from billionaire businessman Eddie Lampert.
The Massachusetts senator and presidential candidate sent a scathing letter to the hedge fund mogul on Thursday demanding that he answer eight questions by Feb. 14 about his plan to buy Sears out of bankruptcy.
In the Jan. 30 letter, Warren calls Lampert a “practitioner of predatory capitalism” and questions his motive for buying the very retail chain that fell into bankruptcy under his leadership.
Lampert’s hedge fund ESL Investment recently won an auction to acquire the bankrupt retailer for $5.2 billion. A sales hearing will be held on Feb. 4.
“Simply put, it appears that you have enriched yourself while driving the company into bankruptcy” she wrote, adding that she is concerned that Sears will continue to “struggle” under Lampert’s direction.
Warren is asking Lampert, among other things, to provide “specific details” about his long term plans, to explain how he’ll protect workers’ pensions and severance, and to explain how he will avoid conflicts of interest moving forward.
The letter comes as workers from Sears, Kmart and Toys R Us faced frigid temperatures on Thursday to draw attention to Warren’s letter at a Manhattan Kmart. The workers, organized by labor group United for Respect, are advocating for severance pay for laid off retail workers.
“The letter by Senator Warren to Mr. Lampert is extraordinary and purely political; she cannot compel ESL to do anything,” bankruptcy attorney David Wander told The Post.
The letter does, however, give “ammunition” to creditors opposing Lampert’s bid ahead of next week’s sales hearing, Wander added.