The Department of Transportation watchdog asked the Justice Department late last year to criminally investigate Elaine Chao over concerns she had abused her office while she was secretary of the transportation under President Donald Trump, but was turned down, according to a released Wednesday. report.
The report said the criminal and public integrity departments of the Justice Department declined to take the case for criminal prosecution in December following the Inspector General’s findings that Chao was using her staff and office for personal duties and to seek a criminal offense. Shipping company owned by Chao’s father and sisters in apparent violation of federal ethics. That company does a lot of business with China.
“A formal investigation into possible misuse of position was warranted,” Deputy Inspector General Mitch Behm wrote in a letter to lawmakers.
Chao, the wife of Kentucky Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, stepped down from her job early this year in the closing weeks of the Trump administration, citing her disapproval of the January 6 uprising in the Capitol by the United States. supporters of Trump.
Chao has denied wrongdoing. In the report released Wednesday, she did not specifically respond to allegations, but instead issued a September 2020 memo claiming that promoting her family was an appropriate part of her official duties in the department.
“Asian audiences welcome and respond positively to the secretary’s actions, involving her father in activities when necessary,” the memo said.
The watchdog report cited several cases that raised ethical concerns. In one, Chao instructed political officials in the department to contact Homeland Security to personally check the status of a work permit application for a student who was a recipient of her family’s philanthropic foundation.
Chao also made extensive plans for an official trip to China in November 2017 – before canceling it – including stops at sites supported by her family-owned company, the New York-based Foremost Group. According to the department’s emails, Chao instructed her staff to involve her family members in the official events and high-level gatherings during the trip.
“Above all, let’s keep (the secretary) happy,” one of the department employees wrote to another staffer about Chao’s father. “If Dr. Chao is happy, we should be flying with a feather in our hat.”
The report found that Chao also directed public affairs staff to assist her father in marketing his personal biography and edit his Wikipedia page, and used staff to check for an item in a store for her. father had been repaired.
The IG report said Justice Department officials ultimately refused to initiate a criminal investigation, saying there “may be ethical and / or administrative issues” but no evidence to support possible criminal charges.
As a result, the inspector general’s office said in the report that it was now finalizing its investigation “on the basis of the Justice Department’s lack of prosecution interest.”
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, chairman of the House transportation committee, who requested the investigation, expressed disappointment that the investigation had not been completed and released while Chao was still in office.
“Civil servants, especially those responsible for directing tens of thousands of other officials, need to know that they are serving the public and not their families’ private commercial interests,” he said.