Controversy over Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has come to a head, with New York Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney calling for Congress to launch an impeachment inquiry into the secretary for giving false testimony to Congress regarding her family’s stock ownership.
On Thursday, Tenney expressed during a hearing of the House Science and Technology Committee that Granholm had violated the Hatch Act multiple times since taking office in 2021.
“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. If anyone would like to dispute these charges, all the evidence you need is in the articles I submitted into the record,” Tenney said.
The controversy began earlier this year when Granholm admitted in a letter to lawmakers that she had falsely testified under oath during a Senate hearing in April that she didn’t own any individual stocks.
It was later revealed that Granholm had maintained shares of six companies worth up to $120,000, while she also violated the STOCK Act nine times by failing to disclose $240,000 worth of stock sales within the legally mandated time frame.
In addition to this, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel found Granholm guilty of violating the Hatch Act during a 2021 interview where she explicitly endorsed Democratic Party candidates in her official capacity as energy secretary.
Yet when questioned by Tenney on the matter, Granholm replied that she had made an honest mistake when testifying in April.
“I made a mistake when I testified saying that I had sold all stock. I honestly thought we had,” Granholm told Tenney.
Tenney has been the only lawmaker to publicly express the need for an impeachment inquiry into Granholm.
“Why should you not resign or why should we not consider some kind of impeachment inquiry into you for your perjury charges?” Tenney said.
It is yet to be seen whether impeachment proceedings will be launched against Granholm for her alleged ethical violations. However, the controversy has certainly raised questions about the integrity of Granholm’s actions since taking office, and it serves as a reminder that government officials must be held to the highest standards of trust and loyalty.
