Rep. Peter DeFazio calls for audit into Elaine Chao's alleged Kentucky favors

[EleanorR]

Hell yeah, it's about time!

A senior House Democrat has asked the Transportation Department's internal watchdog to investigate whether Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao showed undue favoritism to Kentucky constituents of her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

On Friday, Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, the top Democrat on the House Transportation Committee, wrote the DOT's inspector general asking him to probe any conflicts of interest Chao has. Specifically DeFazio cited two POLITICO stories, one detailing Chao's disproportionate number of meetings with Kentucky officials during her first year in the position, and another suggesting she had designated a member of her senior staff to serve as a point person for Kentucky issues, which the agency denies.

SNIP

DeFazio's request to the inspector general also raised concerns about previous reporting by the New York Times detailing Chao’s financial conflicts of interest related to her family’s shipping business and her failure to divest from Vulcan Materials Co.

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/15/elaine-chao-audit-transportation-watchdog-046821

[Doremus]

1. Rotten to the core. nt

[dchill]

5. And proud of it.

[riversedge]

2. The Trump stink is getting stinkier.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Some signs of it becoming stickier. Harder to wash off. Attaches to people in his orbit. . . . nt

[lagomorph777]

9. KY can get sticky.

Meanwhile, this scandal may lubricate Moscow Mitch's slide from power. One too many palms were greased, it seems.

[smirkymonkey]

3. K&R

[in2herbs]

4. I'm smiling as I'm imagining McConnell throwing his wife under the bus even though it's not

likely as she's the one with the international crime connections.

[Lonestarblue]

7. And the money!

[lagomorph777]

8. Kentucky Fried Chao?

Ciao, baby!