Senator Josh Hawley called for Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s resignation following a heated exchange during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. Hawley accused Granholm of violating the STOCK Act and misleading the committee about her financial transactions. Granholm had failed to disclose $240,000 worth of stock sales within the required timeframe and had owned shares of individual companies despite testifying that she did not own any individual stock.
During the April 20, 2023 hearing, Granholm admitted to owning shares in six unnamed individual companies, despite telling Hawley that she did not own individual stocks. She sold her remaining individual stock holdings after the hearing, but failed to report the transactions to the committee for months. Hawley questioned why Granholm misled the committee and waited a month to inform them of the transactions. Granholm claimed she believed she had sold all individual stocks and only disclosed the mistake once she realized her error.
Hawley also criticized Granholm for allowing agency employees to own individual stocks, citing a report that hundreds of senior DOE officials own stocks related to the agency’s work. He accused the department of institutionalized corruption and conflicts of interest. Granholm defended the agency’s ethics office, stating that officials are only allowed to own stocks in areas where they have no influence and that all relevant transactions are reviewed by the ethics office.
Granholm faced further scrutiny for her husband’s ownership of shares in Ford Motor Company, which she had failed to disclose during her under-oath testimony before the committee. Hawley accused Granholm of lying under oath and demanded her resignation. He argued that Granholm’s actions were unacceptable and that she should step down from her position as Energy Secretary. Granholm defended herself, claiming she was not aware of the oversight and rectified the situation as soon as she realized her mistake.
The tense exchange between Hawley and Granholm highlighted the ongoing controversy surrounding the Energy Secretary’s financial transactions and potential conflicts of interest. Hawley’s calls for Granholm’s resignation underscored the seriousness of the allegations against her and the need for accountability in government. Granholm’s defense of her actions and the agency’s ethics practices raised questions about transparency and integrity within the Department of Energy. The outcome of this confrontation could have lasting implications for Granholm’s tenure as Energy Secretary and the broader issues of ethics and accountability in the federal government.
