(Headline USA) House Republicans could launch an impeachment inquiry into Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm after the Biden administration official admitted to giving false testimony to Congress about her family’s stocks.
Granholm acknowledged in a letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last Friday that she still maintains shares in six companies. In April, however, Granholm testified under oath that she had sold all of her shares of individual companies.
“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,” Granholm claimed.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., argued Granholm’s dishonesty before the House Science and Technology Committee in April should be the final straw for the GOP.
“Since taking office in January of 2021, Secretary Granholm has violated the Hatch Act multiple times,” Tenney said. “She owned Proterra stock while her boss, President Biden, repeatedly promoted the company. Her husband owned Ford stock while she personally promoted the companies’ work with official resources. And most critically, she lied, under oath, to Congress, claiming that you did not own any individual stocks when in fact she did.”
Tenney called on her colleagues to take action, citing the Energy Department’s ethics guidelines, which state that “public service is a public trust; employees must place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws, and ethical principles above private gain.”
“That’s perjury, period,” Tenney continued. “Why should you not resign or why should we not consider some kind of impeachment inquiry into you for your perjury charges?” Tenney said.
Granholm responded to Tenney’s charges by claiming her false testimony was “an honest mistake.”
“Of course I do not believe it’s okay to violate ethics laws. Nor does anyone else in the Department of Energy,” Granholm told Tenney. “I made a mistake when I testified saying that I had sold all stock. I honestly thought we had.”
