(Headline USA) The brother of a top White House aide has reportedly made millions since President Joe Biden took office, with several of the firms he represents directly benefiting from Biden’s policies.
Jeff Ricchetti, the brother of counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, has earned $8.3 million since 2021 through his lobbying firm Ricchetti Inc., according to Senate lobbying disclosures. That is four times more than he earned during former President Donald Trump’s four years in the White House, according to the New York Post.
Ricchetti’s success is largely due to the fact that Biden’s White House has cozied up to several companies he represents, including General Motors, pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline and TC Energy. The White House has even directly accepted calls from Richetti—which it did not do during the Trump administration, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In fact, after paying Jeff Richetti $200,000 in 2021, General Motors earned an official visit from Biden, who then showcased its new electric vehicle factory. Biden has since sent billions of dollars in electric vehicle subsidies to General Motors and other auto companies.
Jeff Richetti also represents Applied Materials, a semiconductor manufacturer whose headquarters Vice President Kamala Harris visited in May to promote the passage of the CHIPS Act, which provided Applied Materials and other domestic semiconductor producers with billions in subsidies.
The concerning finances have prompted calls from ethical experts for Steve Richetti, who works in the Biden White House, to recuse himself from policy discussions that his brother’s firm is lobbying on.
“I’m sorry, I know some folks don’t like hearing any criticism of him. But this royally sucks. I’m disgusted,” said Walter Shaub, who served as director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics during the Obama administration. “A lot of us worked hard to tee [Biden] up to restore ethics to government and believed the promises. This is a real ‘f*** you’ to us — and government ethics.”
Jeff Richetti denied lobbying the White House or his brother directly.
