Jennifer Granholm must face investigation over finances, top Republican charges
- June 14, 2023
A top Republican is calling on the Energy Department‘s inspector general to investigate Secretary Jennifer Granholm over her false testimony on stock holdings and “failure to disclose her husband’s ownership of conflicting Ford stock.”
Granholm, who has come under scrutiny from lawmakers and watchdogs over her ethical and financial decisions, told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in a Friday letter that her husband, Daniel Mulhern, held shares in Ford Motor Company even though she did not previously report the stock. Now, the panel’s ranking member, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), is requesting an inquiry into the matter, as well as Granholm’s recent admission that she “mistakenly” testified in April about her stock holdings, according to a Wednesday letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“Secretary Granholm’s repeated noncompliance with established financial rules and regulations, in addition to her disregard for ethical standards, has contributed to the erosion of the public’s trust not only in her, but the Department of Energy as a whole,” Barrasso wrote to Teri L. Donaldson, the inspector general for the department.
In his letter, Barrasso cited how Granholm promoted Ford’s business around the same time “her husband retained ownership of Ford stock.” Her husband sold the Ford shares on May 15, and they were valued at $2,457.89, according to Granholm’s Friday letter. Granholm alleged that she only became aware of the Ford stock’s existence on May 13, two days before.