DOE: There is no time to respond to questions of Granholm’s ethics violations because… global warming
- February 15, 2022
Karen Townsend, Hot Air
There is simply no time for answering questions about the ethics violations lodged against Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. The reason given by her spokeswoman is that the department is preoccupied with rising temperatures and “extreme weather events.” Yes, really.
From a press release by Protect the Public’s Trust, a second FOIA lawsuit has been filed against DOE.
When officials are pursuing what they believe to be righteous agendas, ethics concerns can be the most important guardrails on misconduct. This statement, combined with the volume of complaints, indicates legal and ethics compliance may not be prioritized at DOE. With trust in its government already at an all-time low, the American public has legitimate concerns if the lack of commitment to legal and ethics obligations is what they can expect from DOE as long as Jennifer Granholm is leading the Department. This is especially troubling at an agency that has been far from immune to high-profile boondoggles and which is poised to receive significant increases in funding.
The Department’s budget was more than $39.5 billion in fiscal year 2021 and DOE requested nearly $46.2 billion for 2022, a 16.66% increase. With ever more billions of taxpayer dollars committed to the agency, the necessity for those in charge of setting policy and overseeing the expenditure of those funds to adhere to the ethics guidelines put in place to protect the interests of the American public has even greater importance.
Apparently DOE thinks the laws are for little people, not them, since they have such important work to do, or something. It’s more arrogance coming from the Biden administration. Admitting that answering questions about the secretary’s ethics behavior is a low priority is a bad look for any office. Taxpayers deserve answers.