Republican Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso asked the Department of Energy’s watchdog to investigate Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and her involvement in a company, Proterra a leading manufacturer of electric buses, batteries, and charging stations.
The reason being is that she has what could amount to five million dollars tied up in the company that she is in a position to aid in her job capacity.
Joe Biden took a tour of the Proterra factory and while he was there he promised that he was going to set up 50,000 charging stations and one would assume he planned on using Proterra chargers.
That would put some serious coin in Granholm’s pocket. She has agreed to sell her stock within 180 days of being confirmed. That gives her six months to make money from her stock options.
Biden has already put Granholm in charge of reviewing the electric-vehicle battery supply chain and included $174 billion in his infrastructure spending plan. In other words, she will be able to spend tax dollars to boost Proterra’s stock prices.
The same Democrats who falsely claimed that Trump made money on the presidency will see nothing wrong with any of this.
This is one administration that can’t be classified as nonprofit.
Sen. John Barrasso, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, wrote a letter of concern to Department of Energy Inspector General Teri Donaldson Tuesday, warning of the potential conflict of interest.
Barrasso said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm continues to own millions of dollars worth of stock in Proterra, a company that has a direct stake in her department’s work.
“I ask that your office determine the facts surrounding any potential conflicts of interest in connection with this matter,” he continued.
Granholm had previously served as a board member of Proterra, according to an Officer of Government Ethics (OGE) filing. In January, Granholm told the OGE she would forfeit her unvested Proterra stock options, but would wait until it was “practicable” to divest from her vested stock options in the company.
