Two House Democrats have referred Energy Secretary Chris Wright to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution. They accuse him of lying to Congress about the cancellation of green grants for partisan reasons.
In a letter released on Wednesday, Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.) accused Wright of false testimony. They claimed he misled Congress by stating that cancellations of climate-related funding were not due to the funds being allocated mainly to Democratic states.
“Secretary Wright lied to the Committee with his statements, which sought to prevent us from learning the truth: that the October award terminations were an act of political retaliation,” Lofgren and Amo wrote to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “In doing so, he violated 18 USC §1001, which bars individuals from making ‘any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation’ to Congress.”
They stated they had no choice but to refer Wright for possible prosecution.
The referral to the DOJ does not guarantee the department will take the case or that Wright is guilty. There are doubts due to the Trump administration’s stance on pursuing its own officials. However, this action heightens the tensions surrounding the $8 billion removed by the previous administration last year.
An Energy Department spokesperson, when asked for comment, insisted that the terminations weren’t politically motivated. The spokesperson stated, “The Secretary’s statements in his testimony are correct.” The response came from an unsigned and generic press office email.
For more information, visit TheHill.com.
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