{"id":2271209,"date":"2024-06-19T05:09:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T09:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-a-top-biden-officials-conversations-may-have-stood-to-benefit-her-husbands-interests\/"},"modified":"2024-06-19T05:12:32","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T09:12:32","slug":"how-a-top-biden-officials-conversations-may-have-stood-to-benefit-her-husbands-interests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-a-top-biden-officials-conversations-may-have-stood-to-benefit-her-husbands-interests\/","title":{"rendered":"How discussions involving a senior Biden official could have favored her husband&#8217;s interests"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/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%2Fhow-a-top-biden-officials-conversations-may-have-stood-to-benefit-her-husbands-interests%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=2271209&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--><p>The text describes a series of events and interactions involving Commerce Secretary \u200bGina Raimondo, centered on her connections\u200c and meetings with figures in the artificial \u2064intelligence (AI) industry.\u2064 On July 8, 2021,\u2064 Raimondo attended a roundtable in Washington state\u200c alongside Sen. Maria \u200bCantwell, focusing on minority-owned small \u200bbusinesses.\u200d During\u200b this visit, Raimondo also\u2064 interacted with AI\u2063 investors and\u2062 business leaders, including from Madrona Ventures. The\u2062 article details \u2063subsequent communications suggesting personal and professional overlaps between Raimondo, her husband\u200b Andy Moffit, and the AI \u2062sector, raising ethical concerns. \u200bMoffit, involved in AI\u200d through his employment at Sword Health and former role at PathAI, has financial ties \u200cthat could potentially conflict with Raimondo\u2019s official duties, considering her \u200bdisqualification from matters affecting PathAI. A watchdog group, Protect the Public&#8217;s Trust, has filed an \u2062ethics \u200ccomplaint \u200dwith the \u2063Commerce \u2062Department\u2019s inspector general to investigate these potentially improper interactions, also highlighting Raimondo&#8217;s connections with individuals like Guardant \u200dHealth CEO Helmy Eltouhky\u200b and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. These interactions, coupled\u2064 with\u200d significant AI industry connections, have prompted scrutiny of Raimondo&#8217;s impartiality and potential\u200c conflicts of\u2064 interest.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE \u2014<\/strong> On the morning of July 8, 2021, Commerce Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gina-raimondo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Gina Raimondo<\/a> arrived in Washington state for a roundtable that evening with Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maria-cantwell\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Maria Cantwell<\/a> (D-WA) on the need to grow minority-owned small businesses. Earlier that day, before the panel discussion with the powerful Senate Commerce Committee chairwoman, Raimondo had a phone call with Madrona Ventures, a Seattle-based firm that invests in artificial intelligence, according to a copy of Raimondo\u2019s official calendar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBig impact,\u201d Cantwell texted Raimondo on July 9, thanking the secretary of commerce for making the trek out west. The top Biden administration official asked Cantwell to remind her of a trail where the senator planned to go hiking in Arizona. Raimondo also, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Raimondo-Cantwell-Dinner-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>internal<\/a> agency documents reviewed by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, told Cantwell she would \u201clove to have dinner with you and my husband,\u201d adding, \u201cHe works at a very cool artificial intelligence start up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHauvasupai falls,\u201d Cantwell replied. \u201cDinner sounds great.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This exchange and others between Raimondo and individuals connected to the AI space are at the heart of a new ethics complaint against Raimondo by Protect the Public\u2019s Trust, a watchdog tracking alleged conflicts of interest. In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Raimondo-Ethics-Complaint-PPT.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>complaint<\/a>, which was filed Tuesday afternoon with the Commerce Department\u2019s inspector general, the nonprofit organization requested an investigation into Raimondo\u2019s \u201cseemingly improper\u201d interactions about policy matters that could \u201caffect the financial interests of her husband\u2019s companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Raimondo\u2019s husband, Andy Moffit, is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-ranked-top-state-for-business-in-first-year-since-republicans-took-power\/\" title=\"Virginia Ranked Top State for Business in First Year Since Republicans Took Power\">chief business development officer<\/a> at Sword Health, a healthcare company using AI technology, according to his LinkedIn account. Moffit, between 2020 and 2023, also worked at PathAI, a company <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/biden-administration\/commerce-secretarys-husband-is-top-executive-at-tech-firm-funded-by-chinese-government\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reportedly<\/a> funded by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-president-trumps-executive-order-from-yesterday-directly-impacts-the-bidens-investments-in-china\/\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE: President Trump\u2019s Executive Order from Yesterday Directly Impacts the Bidens\u2019 Investments in China\">venture capital firm<\/a> linked to China\u2019s government. <\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo attends an event in Bangkok, Thailand, March 13, 2024. (AP Photo\/Sakchai Lalit, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Internal Commerce Department records notably list copies of a 2021 memo, from Raimondo to then-agency lawyer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/quentin-palfrey-a57103\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Quentin Palfrey<\/a>, that says Raimondo would be disqualified as secretary from \u201cmatters having a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests\u201d of PathAI. Moreover, the memo held that Raimondo was disqualified from involvement with matters \u201caffecting the company as a member of an industry sector or group.\u201d Raimondo listed in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-jen-psaki-could-fit-multiple-treadmills-in-her-2-million-house\/\" title=\"ANALYSIS: Jen Psaki Could Fit Multiple Treadmills in Her  Million House\">recent financial disclosure report<\/a> that her husband owned stock shares in PathAI and Sword Health, PPT said in its complaint.<\/p>\n<p>PPT argued Raimondo\u2019s relationship with Cantwell, which according to calendar records continued as the senator readied legislation related to AI, should be reviewed by the agency\u2019s inspector general. As chairwoman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Cantwell oversees AI-related matters. <\/p>\n<p>The watchdog\u2019s complaint also highlighted an August 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/RaimondoCEO.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>text message<\/a> from Guardant Health CEO Helmy Eltouhky to Raimondo. In the message, the businessman wrote that it was \u201cvery nice meeting you and your husband Andy.\u201d Guardant Health is a biotechnology company <a href=\"https:\/\/investors.guardanthealth.com\/press-releases\/press-releases\/2023\/Guardant-Health-introduces-Guardant-GalaxyTM-suite-of-advanced-AI-analytics-to-enhance-its-portfolio-of-cancer-tests-and-accelerate-biomarker-discovery\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>using<\/a> AI. It also, PPT argued, is linked to PathAI\u2019s financial interests due to their focus in a niche sector. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSuch a small world given the PathAI and Fialkow connections,\u201d Eltouhky told Raimondo on Aug. 22, 2021, appearing to refer to David Fialkow, the co-founder of a venture capital <a href=\"https:\/\/www.generalcatalyst.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>firm<\/a> said to be invested <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbinsights.com\/company\/pathai\/financials\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>in<\/a> PathAI. <\/p>\n<p>Fialkow, later that year, would gift Raimondo tickets valued at $2,700 to the Kennedy Center Honors gala in Boston, according to a financial disclosure filed by Raimondo.<\/p>\n<p>Other interactions should also be investigated by the inspector general\u2019s office, according to PPT, which is led by former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Education Department<\/a> official Michael Chamberlain. Calendar records suggest Raimondo met various times with Sam Altman, the CEO of the company OpenAI, which is behind ChatGPT.<\/p>\n<p>One interaction was at the November 2023 First Developer Conference. Another interaction was in July 2023, according to calendar records, which listed a meeting between the two at a hotel bar after a separate conference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile all the details of what was discussed at these meetings have not been disclosed, even in the<br \/>absence of her disqualification statement, these scheduled meetings with Mr. Altman, often in<br \/>conjunction with engagements with the AI industry, raise serious questions about her impartiality<br \/>and the potential impact of the meetings on PathAI and\/or Sword Health,\u201d Chamberlain wrote in the complaint. <\/p>\n<p>The complaint, moreover, highlighted a May 2023 meeting about AI at the White House listed on Raimondo\u2019s official calendar. According to White House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2023\/05\/04\/readout-of-white-house-meeting-with-ceos-on-advancing-responsible-artificial-intelligence-innovation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>records<\/a>, the meeting included Altman and the CEOs of other companies involved in AI, such as Anthropic.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>American flags and a pride flag hang from the White House during a Pride Month celebration on the South Lawn, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Manuel Balce Ceneta)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Two months later, in July 2023, Raimondo participated in a \u201cWhite House AI Business Leaders Meeting,\u201d according to her calendar. Several companies that were in attendance \u201ccommitted to develop and deploy advanced AI systems to address society\u2019s greatest challenges\u201d, including cancer prevention, the White House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2023\/07\/21\/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-secures-voluntary-commitments-from-leading-artificial-intelligence-companies-to-manage-the-risks-posed-by-ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> at the event\u2019s conclusion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlainly, such collaboration between officials at the highest levels of government and a select group of business leaders in the AI industry provide ample opportunity to develop policies favorable to PathAI and\/or Sword Health, whether as individual entities or members of the AI industry,\u201d Chamberlain wrote in the complaint, which cited federal ethics rules and Raimondo\u2019s prior disqualification statement. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe actions discussed above suggest a low regard for ethics obligations that government<br \/>officials holding a position of public trust are expected to meticulously follow,\u201d the complaint added. <\/p>\n<p>The Commerce Department and its inspector general\u2019s office did not reply to requests for comment. Cantwell\u2019s office also did not reply. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On July 8, 2021, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited Washington state for an evening roundtable with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) focusing on expanding minority-owned small businesses. Prior to the event, Raimondo engaged in a significant phone call<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2271210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP23174043865016-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2271209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP23174043865016-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2271209","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\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2271209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2271209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2271210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2271209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2271209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2271209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}