News/Commentary

Biden official admits to false testimony, part of ‘a troubling pattern’ says GOP committee member

June 10, 2023 | | Print Article

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm ostensibly admitted lying under oath in a letter on Friday when she told Republicans she didn’t own any individual stocks which Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) called “a troubling pattern” and “unacceptable.”

She stated in the letter, which was first reported on by E&E News, that she divested from a number of stocks in 2021 but that she maintained shares in six companies. Back on April 20, Granholm testified under oath that she had sold all of her shares of individual companies which was not true.

“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 contended in the letter which was obtained by Fox News Digital. “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 added.

The energy secretary did not divulge which companies she had owned shares in. She did claim she would disclose that information in her Annual Public Financial Disclosure Report in mid-June.

Granholm also said that she found out on May 13 that her husband Daniel Mulhern owned $2,457.89 worth of shares in Ford Motor Company. Those particular shares were reportedly sold on May 15 when the stock market opened.

She admitted that she didn’t disclose her husband’s shares in her two prior Public Financial Disclosure Reports and claimed that she had mistakenly thought that her family’s divestiture of Ford was complete in early 2021. The Ford stock she and her husband held in their retirement accounts was sold on March 22, 2021, she stated.

“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 said. “This is a commitment I made to you, the President, and most importantly the American people.”

“My spouse and I have double-checked our financial assets, and there are no other reportable assets that were omitted from my financial disclosure report,” she concluded in the letter.

Barrasso slammed Granholm over the omissions and false testimony.

“Secretary Granholm lied to the committee about her family’s stock holdings,” Barrasso exploded in a statement given to Fox News Digital. “This comes after her failure to follow basic ethics and disclosure rules. This is a troubling pattern. It is unacceptable.”

Granholm insisted that all of her transactions listed in the letter would be disclosed on a Public Financial Disclosure Periodic Transaction Report in July.

An Energy Department spokesperson said Granholm remained committed to “the highest ethical standards,” in a statement given to Fox News Digital.

“The Secretary takes the commitment to uphold the highest ethical standards very seriously, which is why, upon realizing a comment made in error, the Secretary moved quickly to divest non-conflicting assets along with an asset held by her spouse of which she was previously unaware,” the spokesperson declared. “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.”

A letter admitting that Granholm lied was not sufficient for Twitter users:

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