The McKinsey consulting firm said Monday that it will allow Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg to release the identities of the clients he served when he worked for them a decade ago.
“After receiving permission from the relevant clients, we have informed Mr. 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," a McKinsey spokesperson said.
Buttigieg had been under scrutiny for refusing to discuss the three years he spent working for the consulting firm, pointing to the nondisclosure agreement he signed. Interest in the South Bend, Indiana, mayor has only grown as his star continues to rise in the Democratic presidential primary race, and many progressive Democratic voters are skeptical of candidates with ties to the corporate world.
Buttigieg called on McKinsey on Saturday to release him from the nondisclosure agreement he had signed. He said he had already asked, without success, twice before. Buttigieg said he hopes McKinsey can “recognize the importance of transparency in the exceptional case of a former employee becoming a competitive candidate for the U.S. presidency.”