{"id":2001594,"date":"2023-08-15T17:18:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T21:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watchdogs-call-for-key-biden-administration-official-to-resign-over-litany-of-abuses-of-public-trust\/"},"modified":"2023-08-15T17:20:39","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T21:20:39","slug":"watchdogs-call-for-key-biden-administration-official-to-resign-over-litany-of-abuses-of-public-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watchdogs-call-for-key-biden-administration-official-to-resign-over-litany-of-abuses-of-public-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"Watchdogs demand resignation of key Biden official for &#8216;abusing public trust&#8217;."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwatchdogs-call-for-key-biden-administration-official-to-resign-over-litany-of-abuses-of-public-trust%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2001594&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Watchdogs Call for Key Biden Administration Official to Resign Over &#8216;Litany of Abuses of Public \u200dTrust&#8217;<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Leaders from 14 government accountability organizations issued a letter Tuesday to President Joe Biden calling for the immediate resignation of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elon-musk-under-investigation-by-govt-after-what-he-allegedly-did-to-twitter-hotel\/\" title=\"Gov't Investigates Elon Musk for Alleged Actions at 'Twitter Hotel'\">alleging numerous instances<\/a> of unethical conduct throughout her\u200b tenure leading the Department of\u200d Energy (DOE).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The letter requests that Biden pursue Granholm\u2019s \u2062resignation on account of <strong>\u201cher repeated apparent violations of\u2064 federal ethics\u200b laws and regulations\u201d<\/strong> and <strong>\u201cthe\u200c ethics failures and legal\u200b missteps of her subordinates resulting from \u2062her poor example.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Since taking over the top post at DOE, Granholm has <strong>failed to fully report her financial holdings, participated in official activity which may have benefited her own financial interests, violated\u2064 the STOCK Act, indicated to her subordinates that \u2063their priority should be policy outcomes rather than ethical compliance and violated the Hatch Act,<\/strong> the watchdogs allege.<\/p>\n<p>The letter highlights a <strong>\u201clitany of abuses of public trust,\u201d<\/strong> further \u2064asserting that <strong>\u201cGranholm has disregarded and de-prioritized her ethics obligations\u2062 at\u2062 every turn\u201d<\/strong> since officially taking over at DOE in \u2062February of 2021.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-notices-nasty-thing-biden-giving-no-comment-rising-death-toll-maui\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biden<\/a> signed a January 2021 executive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2021\/01\/20\/executive-order-ethics-commitments-by-executive-branch-personnel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">order<\/a> on his first day in office requiring every appointee in every office of \u200dthe executive branch\u200c to sign an \u200dethics pledge, committing to <strong>\u201cdecision-making on the merits and exclusively \u2063in the public interest, without regard to private gain or personal benefit\u201d<\/strong> \u2063 aligned with <strong>\u201ca broader ethics in government plan designed to restore and maintain public \u200dtrust in government.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Before taking the top job at DOE, Granholm served on the board of Proterra,\u200d a now-bankrupt electric bus company that the Biden administration touted \u200cpublicly and supported financially after she had started working for the administration. Granholm did not divest of her personal stake in the company for months after she started at DOE, eventually netting $1.6 million in capital gains when she cleared her position as she drew scrutiny from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/house-republican-warns-democrats-pray-plan-latest-trump-indictment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Republicans<\/a> critical of the apparent conflict of interest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u200d looked bad enough when Secretary Granholm participated in a program that\u200c awarded\u200d grant funds to companies tied to Proterra,\u201d Michael Chamberlain, president of Protect the Public\u2019s Trust\u200c and signatory to the letter, \u2063told the\u200c Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut recent revelations show it was much worse,\u201d he continued, adding\u200b that <strong>\u201cher husband owned stock in Ford Motor Company while Ford received almost $25 million from that program.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration promoted and signed off on huge subsidies for Ford to boost its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watchdogs-call-for-key-biden-administration-official-to-resign-over-litany-of-abuses-of-public-trust\/\" title=\"Watchdogs demand resignation of key Biden official for 'abusing public trust'.\">long-term electric vehicle \u2062production<\/a> while Granholm\u2019s\u2063 husband held a position in the American automaker, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eenews.net\/articles\/granholm-contradicts-testimony-reveals-she-did-own-stocks\/#:~:text=Granholm%20told%20the%20Energy%20and,department%20officials%20from%20holding%20stocks.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to E&#038;E News.<\/p>\n<p>Revelations of her husband\u2019s previously undisclosed holdings followed her\u200b April testimony to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/capitol-police-issue-shelter-place-order-senate-office-buildings-concerning-911-call\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Senate<\/a> committee in which she said that she did not\u200b own \u2063any individual \u2064stocks.<\/p>\n<p>Granholm\u200c violated the STOCK \u2064Act, which is designed to minimize de facto insider trading by government officials, nine times in 2021, Business Insider first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/biden-administration-energy-secretary-jennifer-granholm-stock-act-violator-2022-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>. A DOE representative attributed the violations to <strong>\u201can \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/energy-secretarys-alleged-ethics-violations-prompt-15-groups-to-demand-her-resignation\/\" title=\"15 groups demand Energy Secretary's resignation over alleged ethics violations.\">inadvertent clerical oversight<\/a>.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>She was also found \u200bto have violated the Hatch Act in \u20622021, when she touted the slim congressional Democratic majority and urged people to vote for Democrats in an interview with Marie Claire streamed \u2063on Instagram, <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/HA-22-000007-to-FACT.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> to\u200b a June 2022 report from the Office of Special Counsel.<\/p>\n<p>An August poll by Gallup indicated that more than 50 percent of Americans have a negative perception of the ethics of the Biden administration. Former White House\u200d press secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-whitey-megyn-kelly-roasts-psaki-claim-gop-recruit-muslims-transgenders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jen Psaki<\/a> said in January 2021 that the Biden administration vowed to be the most <strong>\u201cethically vigorous administration in history,\u201d<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/joe-biden-brother-ethics-business-b1794890.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according<\/a> \u2063to The Independent.<\/p>\n<p>Ethics concerns also surround the White House, as Biden himself is subject to escalating media scrutiny amid a Republican-led investigation into the possibility that he was directly\u200b involved in an \u200dalleged \u2063influence peddling scheme \u2062in which is son, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/hunter-biden-suffers-big-legal-blow-top-lawyer-asks-depart-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hunter Biden<\/a>, leveraged his father\u2019s political contacts to enrich the family in deals with overseas business contacts from China, \u2062Ukraine, Romania and Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n<p>Neither DOE nor the White House responded immediately to the DCNF\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content\u200b created by the \u200bDaily Caller News\u2063 Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan\u2064 newswire service, is available without charge to \u200cany legitimate news publisher that can provide a \u2064large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For\u200c any questions about our\u2063 guidelines or partnering with us, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watchdogs-call-key-biden-administration-official-resign-litany-abuses-public-trust\/\">Watchdogs Call for Key Biden Administration Official to Resign Over &#8216;Litany of Abuses of Public Trust&#8217;<\/a> appeared first\u200c on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\">The Western Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leaders of 14 government accountability organizations sent a letter to President Biden, urging the immediate resignation of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. They accused her of unethical conduct during her time at the Department of Energy and requested Biden to pursue her resignation due to repeated apparent violations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2210,"featured_media":2001595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2001594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2001594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2001594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2001594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2001595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2001594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2001594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2001594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}