GOP Sen. Barrasso wants ethics investigation of energy secretary over stock disclosure

Republican Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso is calling for an ethics investigation of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm following her admission that she told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee she owned no stocks but in fact retained ownership of shares in six companies.

"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 the Energy Department’s Office of Inspector General seeking an inquiry, according to The Hill. "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."

Granholm wrote to the committee last week to inform its members that she had made an erroneous statement about her stock ownership during her April 20 testimony.

"I mistakenly told the Committee that I did not own any individual stocks, whereas I should have said that I did not own any conflicting stocks," she said. "As you know, as part of the confirmation process before this Committee, in 2021 I divested from assets that could be in conflict with my official duties... I did, however, retain assets that were determined by Government ethics officials to not conflict with my official duties."

Granholm further stated that she divested from those stocks on May 18 "[i]n order to make my financial holdings consistent with my testimony."

Her admission, however, has been met with skepticism from committee Republicans. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley questioned the delay in Granholm's notifying the committee, observing that she divested from the stocks weeks before informing lawmakers and demanding that she account for the time gap.

Barrasso, in his letter, also pointed to Granholm's admission that husband had owned stock in Ford before it was also sold in May, noting that the secretary had promoted the company's electric vehicles prior to her husband's divestment from it, per the outlet.

The Department of Energy issued a statement on the erroneous comment from Granholm, saying "[t]his was an inadvertent clerical oversight on reporting stock sales that ethics officials previously determined did not pose a conflict in her role as Energy Secretary and the Secretary paid the late filing fee."

The DOE Office of Public Affairs Director David Mayorga also told Just the News that "[s]ecretary Granholm always puts the interests of the American people first. As part of her commitment to the highest ethical conduct and transparency, Secretary Granholm timely divested of all conflicting assets that were known at the time of her confirmation, and subsequently even divested of assets she wasn’t legally required to sell. The Secretary is focused on delivering an equitable clean energy future that will bring cheaper power, cleaner air and more good-paying jobs for more Americans."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.