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.

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"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.

"It is imperative that impropriety on the part of cabinet officials is taken seriously, the dignity of the offices in which they serve is upheld, and that officials are held accountable when they fail to follow the letter of the law," the senator added. "I respectfully request that your office determine the facts surrounding any impropriety in connection with this matter. I look forward to your prompt response."

Barrasso's demand for an investigation is the latest update in the stock holding saga, which could lead to watchdog groups launching their own inquiries or filing ethics complaints, sources told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Granholm is "either incompetent or lying."

Granholm had told the Senate panel that she intended to say she "did not own any conflicting stocks" in testimony as opposed to her not owning "individual stocks." The secretary wrote in the Friday letter that she will make public certain details about her prior holdings in her financial disclosure, which is expected to be out in mid-June.

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.

"Approximately 3,200 jobs in Michigan, 1,800 jobs in Ohio, and 1,100 jobs in Missouri," Granholm tweeted in June 2022. "Good-paying union jobs are on the way. Ford is investing $3.7B to add THOUSANDS of new @UAW jobs in these states and ramp up production of its all-electric cars. What a time to be alive."

Granholm and President Joe Biden have promoted Ford's electric vehicles in the past, while the secretary also in April tapped a Ford lobbyist named Christopher Smith to sit on her Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, which provides guidance to the secretary on the "global clean energy revolution," according to records.

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Smith has lobbied the Biden administration on a variety of policies, including on provisions related to the Inflation Reduction Act, a $740 billion spending bill that Biden signed into law in August 2022, according to federal disclosures reviewed by the Washington Examiner. Ford and other electric vehicle manufacturers have stood to benefit from the bill due to subsidies.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Energy Department for comment.