Granholm defended President Biden, calling him an “incredibly ethical human being” who would “never do anything that would be a conflict of interest”
WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today questioned U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm on the Hunter Biden scandal, the obvious conflicts of interest that it presents for President Joe Biden, and the absolute lack of transparency from the White House on these conflicts, given that, by contrast, the Secretary publicly reported last year that she divested energy stock to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Granholm confirmed to Hagerty that she divested a large financial stake in Proterra, an electric bus manufacturing company, last year to prevent ethics concerns stemming from her cabinet role. “For ethics reasons, you want to make sure that if you are involved in any decisions related to, for example, electrification of buses, that there’s not a conflict. So I divested early,” Granholm said.
Hagerty applauded Granholm for taking this action before asking the Secretary about the situation involving Hunter Biden and President Biden.
“Do you think it was appropriate for Vice President Biden to conduct foreign policy in the Ukraine while an influential Ukrainian energy company called Burisma was paying his son a million dollars a year to serve on its board, or while a Russian billionaire was providing millions of dollars to Hunter Biden at the same time that Hunter Biden was apparently paying his father’s business—or living expenses?” Hagerty asked.
Granholm responded in part, saying, “I also know that President Biden is an incredibly ethical human being and would never do anything that would demonstrate a conflict of interest.”
This is a remarkable assessment given growing evidence and statements from Hunter Biden and his business associates indicating that, while serving as Vice President, President Biden was involved with and personally profiting from Hunter Biden’s foreign business deals in China, Ukraine, and elsewhere.
Hagerty even noted that these conflicts have extended into the current Administration: “In 2021, while his father was President, Hunter Biden still owned an interest in BHR Partners. He owned that in partnership with Chinese Communist Party entities, and right after his dad, President Biden, met with Xi Jinping, it was announced by Hunter Biden’s lawyer that he’d divested his interest in that entity. Yet, no one’s given the details about when he divested it, how much profit he made. Do you think that’s appropriate?”
Granholm refused to say.
“I think the American public is very concerned about what may have transpired, and I think the Biden White House should be transparent to the American people about this. I appreciate your willingness to act in a transparent fashion, to deal with any potential conflict of interest on your own. I think you set an example for this Administration. I wish the Administration would live by its own, its own dictates and actually be responsible in their own disclosures.,” Hagerty concluded.
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