Lock her up!
The story of Elaine Chao’s unethical behavior has been discussed for some time now. In fact, Palmer Report did a piece on her back in June. Finally, the House Oversight and Reform Committee has decided to do something about her behavior by launching an investigation. Thank God. We’re sick of seeing these crooks get away unscathed under the guise of serving our country.
Chairman Elijah Cummings wrote a letter to Chao informing her of his investigation, including his belief that she is using her position to benefit her family. Chao’s father owns the Foremost Group, a shipping company. The company is based in the U.S. but has very strong ties to China. In fact, as Palmer Report shared in June, Chao was called to task for trying to get us to pay for her family’s travel and lodging during their meetings with the Chinese government. Once word got out, she abruptly stopped her manipulations.
We shouldn’t be surprised by anything the wife of Moscow Mitch does. They are crooks of a feather, and the House knows this well. Cummings and Oversight and Reform Subcommittee Chair Raja Krishnamoorthi are tag-teaming on this one. Both signed the letter to Chao, and both have requested documents. Foremost, Chao’s family company, has, according to the Hill, received hundreds of millions of dollars in loan commitments from the Chinese government’s bank, and it is reported that she has been making joint public appearances with them, all to further her family’s business. Trust and believe that this is a “you wash my back, I’ll wash yours” arrangement, and God only knows what the Chinese government has been promised.
This is not why people traditionally enter public service, but we have a rare breed now who got into service to line their pockets, starting with the Traitor-in-Chief. It should have been no surprise that he nominated Chao, as they are cut from the same twisted cloth. A spokesman from Chao’s department is trying to downplay the investigation, saying that this investigation is “an attempt to undermine her long career of public service.” Public theft is more like it. Cliché aside, where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire, and this fire is burning out of control. We should be encouraged that Congress is taking a closer look at this issue.
The Committee is also looking at Chao’s relationship with Vulcan, one of the country’s largest construction companies, where she sat on the board of directors. Once she accepted Trump’s nomination to become Transportation secretary, Chao was to relinquish her stock and any and all connections to Vulcan. The problem is that she was confirmed in 2017 — one of the first in Trump’s cabinet — yet she held onto her stock until June 2019 when the Wall Street Journal reported her failure to divest.
Crooks, thieves, and liars. We never thought these types would comprise our government, yet here they are. Congress can restore some of the sanctity of these positions with their investigation. Hopefully, they will find everything they need to take action against Chao, and we, the American people, will take care of the rest in 2020.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years