Congress to Investigate Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao

Once Democrats took control of Congress in January of 2019, the made it clear that they would investigate Donald Trump. They also made a point to investigate members of his cabinet. Close looks into the actions of people like Rob Porter and Tom Price led to their early departures.

While carrying on their investigation of the President, Congress has continued to look at cabinet members as well. On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee announced their intentions to investigate Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao.

Chao is famously married to to Kentucky senator and Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell. She also had extensive ties to China through her Father, Chinese businessman, James S.C. Chao.

The announcement was made by the committee’s chairmen, Elijah Cummings and Raja Krishnamoorthi. They believe that Chao did not immediately divest from a business interest and has used her position to make money for her father’s company.

The duo said in a letter to Chao, “The Committee is examining your misstatements of fact, your actions that may have benefitted the company in which you continued to hold shares, and your compliance with ethics and financial disclosure requirements.”Krishnamoorthi and Cummings continued, “Federal regulations prohibit federal employees from using their public offices for ‘the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity.”

Chao’s office rejected the claims and called them politically motivated, “The Department has received a letter seeking information on a variety of topics based on publicly available information and news coverage. We look forward to responding to the Committee’s request. Media attacks targeting the Secretary’s family are stale and only attempt to undermine her long career of public service.”