On Friday, Jennifer Granholm, Joe Biden’s Secretary of Energy, informed Congress that she lied during her confirmation hearings.
High-ranking government officials responsible for shaping policies are expected to refrain from owning stocks that could potentially create conflicts of interest. Granholm did not completely divest herself of all the stocks she possessed, and she retained six stocks in her portfolio.
During her confirmation proceedings, when questioned by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, she declared under oath that she did not own any individual stocks and conveniently omitted mentioning the six stocks she still held at that time. In her letter to the committee leadership, Friday, Granholm acknowledged her lie from her testimony, referring to it as a “mistake.”
“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,” Granholm wrote in the letter. “I did, however, retain assets that were determined by Government ethics officials to not conflict with my official duties.”
“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. In order to make my financial holdings consistent with my testimony, on May 18, 2023, I divested my remaining stock holdings which consisted of stock in six companies, even though these assets were deemed non-conflicting,” she continued.
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Granholm conveniently neglected to provide specific details about the stocks she still owned during her testimony, and now admits that she and her husband, Daniel Mulhern, maintained ownership of Ford Motor Company shares valued at $2,457.89, raising huge concerns about conflict of interest given her cabinet position. Granholm only just sold the stock on May 15.
How is it possible that she failed to disclose her ownership of such a significant stock? Her previous two Annual Public Financial Disclosure Reports made no mention of the Ford stock or the other stocks she retained since her confirmation.
“As a public servant, I take very seriously the commitment to hold myself to the highest ethical standards, and I regret the accidental omission of my spouse’s interest in Ford,” Granholm continued in the letter. “This is a commitment I made to you, the President, and most importantly the American people.”
Sorry, but something doesn’t smell right here. Granholm was confirmed as Energy Secretary in February 2021. Why is she admitting to owning this stock now? If she were a Republican, the Democrats and the media would have piled on with calls to resign. Lord knows Republicans have been forced to resign over less.
According to a spokesperson from the Energy Department, we’re supposed to be impressed that Granholm informed Congress of the “error.”
“The letter submitted to Congress clarifying the record underscores the Secretary’s commitment to transparency and to leading a DOE that puts the interests of the American people above all else,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
That’s absurd. Not only did she lie under oath, but she also failed to acknowledge the stock she owned on two Annual Public Financial Disclosure Reports. That’s the recipe for a deliberate cover-up.
Which, of course, brings up another point: Why is the GOP calling on her resign? Democrats are calling for Clarance Thomas to be impeached over a financial disclosure form kerfuffle; where are the calls for Granholm to resign or face impeachment? Talk about low-hanging fruit. The GOP has yet to make an example out of DHS Secretary Mayorkas or Attorney General Garland; here we have a cabinet member admitting to lying to Congress, a federal crime, who should have resigned but won’t. So where’s the GOP taking this gimme and putting the pressure on?
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