Top House Republican Probes SEC’s Firing of U.S. Audit Regulator

The senior Republican on the House Financial Services Committee said he’s opening an investigation into the firing of the leader of the U.S.’s audit watchdog.

In letters sent Tuesday, Representative Patrick McHenry dismissed the move by the Securities and Exchange Commission as “partisan” and an “unprecedented attempt to politicize” the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. He asked the SEC and PCAOB to preserve all documents related to the dismissal of William Duhnke III, the board’s chairman.

Patrick McHenry

Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

The North Carolina Republican also requested the release of an outside review of the audit board’s operations. The SEC commissioned the report ...