(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has determined that former Michigan governess and current Biden administration Energy chief Jennifer Granholm violated federal law during an interview last year.
In the interview she suggested that the Democrats’ general victory in the 2020 election was a “good thing,” despite her supposedly non-partisan position, which the Hatch Act is supposed to guarantee, Fox News reported.
After investigation from the OSC, it was determined that what Granholm said was impermissible.
“OSC has concluded that Secretary Granholm engaged in political activity when she gave this response promoting the electoral success of the Democratic Party,” said Erica Hamrick, the deputy chief of the OSC’s Hatch Act Unit.
Hamrick noted that Granholm was using her position to influence voters improperly.
“While she then attempted to backpedal by stating that she was using ‘Democrats as a substitute’ for certain policies, at bottom she told listeners that they needed to vote for Democrats so that more Democrats would be elected to pass the legislation they wanted,” Hamrick said.
According to Hamrick, the fact that Granholm tried to back off her statement later does not mean that she is exempted from the law.
“Her attempt to backpedal does not change the meaning of her words or undo the fact that she was talking about the Democratic Party throughout her statement,” she added.
In response to the investigation’s findings, a spokesman for the embattled Energy Secretary assured the media that Granholm is quite ethical.
“Secretary Granholm takes her ethics obligations seriously,” the spokesperson said. “And, she remains laser focused on delivering President Biden’s equitable clean energy agenda which will help lower energy costs for American families and enhance our nation’s security.”
Given the skyrocketing cost of fuel, most consumers would probably question if Granholm is anywhere close to achieving that goal.
Whatever pain households are feeling in energy costs, in the OSC determined that Granholm deserved no punishment because she had not yet been trained in the ways of the Hatch Act.
