McKinsey, the management consulting company Pete Buttigieg worked for after college, has released Buttigieg from a confidentiality agreement and will allow him to name the clients he served.

“We recognize the unique circumstances presented by a presidential campaign,” a McKinsey spokesperson said in a statement. “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.”


Buttigieg has faced weeks of criticism from rival candidates and Democratic activists over his employment at McKinsey, as his standing has improved in recent polls of Iowa and New Hampshire. The critics — including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren— have questioned whether the South Bend, Ind., mayor’s work at the consulting firm was consistent with party values, but Buttigieg has said that the nondisclosure agreement he signed upon going to work for the company prevented him from sharing specifics.