Cape News

Today in a hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) strongly criticized Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm for various alleged wrongdoings. Hawley accused Granholm of lying about her personal stock holdings and overseeing a culture of corruption within the DOE.

During the hearing, Senator Hawley directly addressed Secretary Granholm, stating, "You are presiding over institutionalized corruption in your Energy Department, you have violated the Stock Act nine separate times. You have been referred by the Inspector General for violations of the Hatch Act. It is institutionalized corruption that you are now the face of."

Hawley further questioned Granholm's ties to external influences, asking, "I just want to know who runs the Energy Department, is it you, or is it the mega corporations whose stock that you own that you are making profits on? Or maybe it's the foreign billionaires who fund your conferences."

In his concluding remarks, Senator Hawley expressed his strong disapproval of the situation, declaring, "All I have to say is this record is deplorable, it is despicable, it is outrageous that hundreds of officers in the Energy Department are trading shares. It is outrageous that you've misled us. It is outrageous that you are continuing to mislead us, and it is outrageous you're going to conferences and events funded by foreign billionaires using dark money to try to influence our politics. This has got to change, and frankly you should go."

The exchange between Senator Hawley and Secretary Granholm sheds light on the contentious issues surrounding alleged misconduct within the DOE, prompting calls for accountability and potential resignation.