Transportation Sec. Elaine Chao resigned today, but her tenure was marked by significant ethics concerns and favoritism, including boosting her family’s shipping company and giving special treatment to Kentucky, which her husband, Sen. McConnell, represents.
The public deserves full answers about Chao’s conduct in office, and we’re continuing to investigate.
In 2019, we uncovered emails showing that Chao’s office had coordinated McConnell’s office to give priority to Kentucky-specific requests.
The emails include a request from McConnell staff to make an industry group “feel special.”
A separate message from Chao’s head of scheduling — who had previously worked for McConnell — instructed an aide to allow requests from McConnell’s state director to bypass the normal scheduling process.
Our analysis of Chao’s calendars, alongside these emails, revealed that the secretary repeatedly met with Kentucky groups or individuals who had been flagged by McConnell’s office. Many of these had things they wanted from DOT. americanoversight.org/emails-reveal-…
Politico, citing documents we uncovered, found that 25 % of Chao’s meetings with local officials in her first 14 months as secretary were with officials from Kentucky, many of those meetings having been arranged through McConnell’s office. politico.com/news/2019/10/0…
Chao’s potential involvement in her family’s international shipping business has drawn concerns of favoritism and unchecked conflicts of interest. Among other things, we uncovered records showing that she held a private photo session at DOT with employees of the company.
DHS reportedly didn’t issue a threat assessment for the Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally that became a violent mob — and it disbanded its domestic terror intelligence unit last year.
A DHS response to our FOIA request raises further questions. #FOIAFriday
Last year, @woodruffbets reported that DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis disbanded a unit focused on domestic terrorism, including white supremacist terrorism. thedailybeast.com/homeland-secur…
We asked I&A for records that would show the number of intelligence analysts within I&A assigned to work on domestic terrorism threats, including right-wing extremism.
Yesterday, a mob incited by President Donald Trump attacked the United States Capitol.
The president should be immediately removed from office via the 25th Amendment or impeachment if, as is apparent, he has lost the ability to govern. Our statement:
The president of the United States incited an extremist mob attack on the United States Capitol on Wednesday. The president was abetted by allies across the country who stoked fear and anger through lies and demagoguery. americanoversight.org/american-overs…
That is the base truth we face today as we turn to the question of accountability.
For the anti-American vandals who committed crimes on Wednesday, accountability means investigation and prosecution under federal and state laws.
Donald Trump’s presidency was defined by multiple financial conflicts of interest and unprecedented abuses of power. Here are some of the most important things we’ve uncovered about Trump’s actions in office — and what we’re still investigating. americanoversight.org/open-questions…
Trump’s Attacks on the Legitimacy of the Election: Trump’s attacks on the legitimacy of the 2020 election began long before he lost it. Once it was clear that President-elect Biden had won, Trump made wildly unfounded allegations about the election being rigged.
We’ve been investigating state-level attacks on voting rights, including uncovering communications between state election officials and voting-restriction activists in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. americanoversight.org/state-and-loca…
How can Americans properly investigate — and document — the Trump administration’s historic corruption and voluminous misdeeds? The Freedom of Information Act provides a big part of the answer, writes our executive director @AREvers in @just_security. justsecurity.org/74014/the-prom…
We should expect important disclosures in 2021 that can illuminate:
-the tragically bungled pandemic response
-voter suppression and conspiracy peddling
-Trump’s presidential profiteering and abuses of office
-immigration detention center abuse and family separation
The next administration can make a big difference by embracing transparency. A coalition of open government advocates and organizations recently proposed several key reforms the next administration can adopt to do exactly that. accountability2021.org
In 2020, we’ve worked to investigate the Trump administration’s botched Covid-19 response, the politicization of government agencies, threats to voting rights, and more.
Ukraine and Election Interference: We uncovered records from OMB that included an email from a career Defense Department official, stating clearly that Trump was the reason for the holdup in congressionally authorized aid for Ukraine. americanoversight.org/final-decision…
Covid-19 Oversight Hub: We launched our hub which includes our library of public documents related to oversight of the coronavirus response, a tracker that follows Congressional and watchdog oversight efforts, and more. americanoversight.org/areas_of_inves…
Donald Trump’s presidency was defined by multiple financial conflicts of interest and unprecedented abuses of power. Here are some of the most important things we’ve uncovered about Trump’s actions in office — and what we’re still investigating. americanoversight.org/open-questions…
Abuse of Presidential Powers: From pardoning his political allies to pushing for an authoritarian response to nationwide racial justice protests, Trump’s penchant for using presidential powers for his own gain has been well documented. americanoversight.org/investigation/…
Documents we’ve uncovered have shed light on many of these instances, including Trump’s 2018 pardon of Scooter Libby, DOJ’s intervention in criminal cases against Roger Stone and Michael Flynn, and Trump’s post-impeachment purges. americanoversight.org/records-shed-l…