A top Republican lawmaker is pressing Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm for answers as ethical scrutiny grows over her husband's prior ownership of Ford stock that some watchdogs allege could have posed a "conflict of interest."
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) demanded in June that the Energy Department's inspector general launch an investigation after Granholm's recent admission to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which counts Barrasso as ranking member, that she "mistakenly" testified in April about her stock holdings and failed to disclose shares in Ford previously owned by her husband, Daniel Mulhern. Barrasso wrote directly to Granholm on Wednesday on the Ford matter and set a July 26 deadline for her to answer five questions, according to a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.
ENERGY SECRETARY JENNIFER GRANHOLM SLAPPED WITH ETHICS COMPLAINT OVER HUSBAND'S FORD STOCK
"The totality of these circumstances amounts to, at the very least, the appearance of an undue influence by Ford on the Department of Energy," Barrasso wrote to Granholm. "The Department must be guided by a spirit of impartiality and competition as it allocates hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer funds."
The senator added, "It is clear this cannot happen while Ford's top lobbyist remains on your Advisory Board."
On Wednesday, Granholm faced an ethics complaint from the right-leaning watchdog Protect the Public's Trust in connection to the Ford stock. The organization said the secretary engaged in a "blatant violation of her ethics obligations," the Washington Examiner first reported.
The complaint stemmed from Granholm alleging to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in mid-June that she only became aware of her husband's Ford shares on May 13. The shares were sold on May 15 and valued at over $2,400, according to Granholm. In the letter to the committee, Granholm also noted that she "mistakenly" testified in April about her now owning "any individual stocks," instead meaning to say she "did not own any conflicting stocks."
Republicans and watchdog groups have slammed the Ford stock acknowledgment due to the company's close ties to the federal government. For instance, Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, a $740 billion spending bill, approved electric vehicle subsidies that Ford has stood to benefit from.
In 2021, Ford was notably awarded $25 million to "develop and demonstrate five hydrogen fuel cell electric Class-6 Super Duty trucks targeting cost, payload, towing, and refueling times that are equivalent to conventional gasoline trucks." Granholm and Vice President Kamala Harris announced the project and others at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Barrasso's letter also cited how Granholm in April appointed Ford lobbyist Christopher Smith to join an advisory board that provides insight to the secretary on the "global clean energy revolution," records show. Federal disclosures reveal that Smith has lobbied the government on a handful of policies, including Inflation Reduction Act provisions.
"Just over two months after Ford's top lobbyist was appointed to the SEAB (Secretary of Energy Advisory Board), the Department announced a $9.2 billion loan to Ford, the largest single investment in the history of the Department's Loan Programs Office," Barrasso wrote in his Wednesday letter. "Before funds are disbursed, this loan, just as every other LPO loan, is approved by you, personally."
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The senator asked Granholm in the letter if she ever "sought ethics guidance" while acting as secretary when it comes to Ford, or for an ethics waiver in connection to the $9.2 billion loan. He also questioned Granholm over whether Smith received an ethics waiver and will remain on the advisory board, according to the letter.
The Energy Department did not return a request for comment.