Inspector General's Report Cites Elaine Chao for Misuse of Office

[brooklynite]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Transportation Department’s inspector general asked the Justice Department in December to consider a criminal investigation into what it said was Elaine Chao’s misuse of her office as transportation secretary in the Trump administration to help promote her family’s shipping business, which is run by her sister and has extensive business ties with China.

In a report made public on Wednesday, the inspector general said the Justice Department’s criminal and public integrity divisions both declined to take up the matter in the closing weeks of the Trump administration, even after the inspector general found repeated examples of Ms. Chao using her staff and her office to help benefit her family and their business operations and revealed that staff members at the agency had raised ethics concerns.

“A formal investigation into potential misuses of position was warranted,” Mitch Behm, the department’s deputy inspector general, said on Tuesday in a letter to House lawmakers, accompanying a 44-page report detailing the investigation and the findings of wrongdoing.

Ms. Chao, the wife of Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, announced her resignation on Jan. 7, the day after the Capitol riot. At the time of her departure, an aide to Ms. Chao said her resignation was unrelated to the forthcoming release of the investigation.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/03/us/politics/elaine-chao-inspector-general-report.html?referringSource=articleShare

[riversedge]

1. , Chao had her staff pressure a store to do a repair job for her father. "Tell them I'm the secretar

In one instance, Chao had her staff pressure a store to do a repair job for her father. “Tell them I’m the secretary of transportation,” she said.

Link to tweet

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It’s notable that the IG report showing Elaine Chao apparently violated ethics rules was not released until after she had left the Transportation Department. Also, the IG referred her case to the US attorney & Trump’s DOJ for possible criminal prosecution. Neither did so.

Link to tweet

?s=20

[rurallib]

2. I hope she is just the first of many to be investigated from the previous admin

[pfitz59]

3. her family defines corruption

their ship's are made in Taiwan, registered overseas and crewed by foreign seamen. not a lick of tax revenue for the US. a scam.

[disndat]

4. Chao was head of Transportation Agency

when the Boeing 737s crashes occurred. Reports of Agency's laxness reflected on the Boeing CEO's
blame for cutting corners on safety features.
Just wondering.

[StClone]

5. Chao will pay a small fine and skate.

Rich pukes are protected. Lesser people not at all. Laws are made to punish the hoi polloi not the abundantly, decadent, multitudinous, exorbitantly wealthy. (I am baiting the Cosmos to jinx her and Turtle Guy).

[Yeehah]

6. Lock her up!

If there is no accountability, there will be no end to corruption!