Energy Secretary Granholm Violates Ethics Pledge To Boost Proterra, Watchdog Claims
- November 12, 2021
Secretary spoke in front of former employer’s buses at November event
Matthew Foldi, Washington Free Beacon
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm committed a “flagrant” violation of ethics rules by using her official position to promote products of her former employer, electric bus manufacturer Proterra, according to a watchdog complaint obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
Government watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust notified the Department of Energy’s inspector general on Friday of its concerns regarding a Nov. 1 event in which Granholm appeared at an official administration event with Proterra buses prominently displayed behind her. Granholm’s participation in the event, where more than $100 million worth of government grants were announced to support electric vehicle manufacturers, was a “conscious, flagrant affront to her ethics obligations,” the watchdog wrote.
“A full investigation is warranted to understand whether and to what extent Secretary Granholm has violated her legal and ethics obligations as a Cabinet official,” Protect the Public’s Trust director Michael Chamberlain wrote in the group’s letter to agency ethics officials.