Ex-transportation chief Elaine Chao inappropriately used her office to benefit her family, an ethics probe found
The report showed she made plans to include relatives on an official trip to China and had her public affairs staff help market her dad's bookhttps://t.co/MZSTTK0JNn
— POLITICO (@politico) March 4, 2021
Per NPR (because no paywall):
In her time as former President Donald Trump’s transportation secretary, Elaine Chao repeatedly used her position and agency staff to help family members who run a shipping business with ties to China, in potential violation of federal ethics laws, according to an Office of Inspector General report.
The findings were uncovered in the Transportation Department’s inspector general report released Wednesday that detailed the office’s investigation into Chao’s dealings as secretary.
The inspector general referred the findings to the Justice Department in December 2020. But with the Trump administration coming to a close, the DOJ declined to open its own investigation, citing “there is not predication” to do so.
Chao, who is married to Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced her resignation Jan. 7, saying she was deeply troubled by the previous day’s mob attack on the Capitol “in a way that I simply cannot set aside.” Her term was set to end at President Biden’s swearing-in…
Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform Carolyn B. Maloney of New York also requested an investigation into Chao following initial media reports.
Maloney on Wednesday called Chao’s use of her official position and resources to help her family a “flagrant abuse of her office.” The congresswoman added that lawmakers should use this report as evidence for further ethics and transparency reforms…
Bonus ‘such is the way of her people’ racism:
Secretary Chao made extensive plans to include family members in events during her official trip to China in November 2017. The itinerary included stops at Shanghai Maritime University and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and other locations that had received support from her family’s business.
Chao also requested, through the State Department, for China’s Transport Ministry to arrange for two vehicles for her delegation, which included her sister and father. Officials at the State and Transportation departments raised ethics concerns with the trip and it was ultimately canceled…
Transportation’s public affairs office also lent support to her father to help market his biography, to keep a running list of of his awards, and to edit his Wikipedia page, the OIG report said…
In defense of her actions, Chao’s office sent a memo dated Sept. 24, 2020, citing “filial piety.” The memo states, “Anyone familiar with Asian culture knows it is a core value in Asian communities to express honor and filial respect toward one’s parents, and this ingrained value of love, respect, and filial piety always takes precedence over self-promotion and self-aggrandizement.”
It went on to say, “As the eldest daughter, she is expected to assume a leadership role in family occasions that honor her father and her late mother.”…
The Transportation Department’s watchdog wanted Elaine Chao to be criminally investigated last year for misusing her office when she was transportation secretary, but was rebuffed, according to a government report. https://t.co/dIy0zDo51f
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 4, 2021
The timing here is extraordinary. The acting inspector general asks the Justice Department to consider prosecuting Elaine Chao, and the next day her husband, Mitch McConnell, uses his official position to push for replacing the acting inspector general. https://t.co/2Q0ySALGsn
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) March 4, 2021
Trump DOJ declined to investigate Elaine Chao, Mitch McConnell’s wife
Mitch voted to acquit Trump
The Q in GQP stands for Quid Pro Quo
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) March 3, 2021
From Pompeo's Madison dinners and errands to Elaine Chao's personal tasks to Scott Pruitt… you almost get the idea it was grifters as far as the eye could see…. a fish rots from the head, eh?
— Jennifer 'pro-reality' Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) March 4, 2021
dmsilev
And the really sad thing is that even with all this, she still was less corrupt than the average T**** Cabinet member.
Gin & Tonic
Segundo!
Jeffro
Related (if not entirely new): from mid Feb
McConnell backs bill to ensure he’s not replaced by a Dem
Covering all the bases except having their shameless corruption thrown out by voters…oh wait…
Mike in NC
Mitch and Elaine have been shamelessly grifting for decades. No wonder Trump hired her.
Baud
@Gin & Tonic:
I’m revising my prior suggestion that comment numbers should begin with 4. Now I think they should all be 2.
Patricia Kayden
NotMax
@Baud
Old numbers jape (better spoken).
Q: What comes between fear and sex?
A: Fünf.
Baud
@Patricia Kayden:
The media misses Trump’s empty podium.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Patricia Kayden: I guess CNN has an upper limit of White House briefings of about 45.
?BillinGlendaleCA
Baud@2: I’ve been assured that comment 2 is magical, good move.
SiubhanDuinne
@Baud:
Kent
Which Trump cabinet official was not corrupt? Any of them?
The Lodger
@?BillinGlendaleCA: So if the briefing isn’t about 45, they won’t cover it?
dmsilev
@Kent: I was going to say James Mattis, but then I remembered that (pre-T****) he was a board member and advocate for Theranos. I _think_ Rick Perry was just incompetent, not corrupt. Entirely possible that I’ve forgotten some corruption of his; there are just so many to keep track of.
burnspbesq
QuatorzeQuinze says, “damn right it’s time to empanel a grand jury.”dmsilev
@Patricia Kayden: And, simultaneously, they’re whining that Biden “won’t do a solo press conference”.
SiubhanDuinne
@Mike in NC:
Did she grift like this when she was Dubya’s Labor Secretary? Not saying she didn’t, but I don’t recall any talk, let alone significant accusations.
The Moar You Know
@Patricia Kayden: CNN made billions off Trump clicks and eyes. Every media outlet did. Expect a huge thumb on the scales by non-Fox media to get his sorry ass back into the White House, even if by that point he’s able to say nothing but the words “man, TV, pussy” and needs to be hauled everywhere in a forklift.
Dead serious here. Biden isn’t making them any cash. It’s going to be quite a problem for them
ETA: I might add that we – us – me personally and every one of you – caused this by clicking on every goddamn story about the fucker from day one. It’s our fault.
Baud
@SiubhanDuinne:
Nice.
Parfigliano
If she broke the law why not prosecute now?
zhena gogolia
@The Moar You Know:
Well, he was the president of the country and we needed to know what he was up to.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@The Lodger: I’m thinking they only covered 45 briefings during The Former Guy’s tenure, since there were only 45 briefings.
brendancalling
It must be nice to be untouchable crooks like Elaine and Mitch. What charmed lives.
Meanwhile, I haven’t seen my kid in a year due to Covid. I came upon a few pics I shot of him learning to ride a bike 10-odd years ago, and it nearly broke me.
Fuck these people. When they die I’m going on a road trip to use their headstones as my personal shitter.
schrodingers_cat
Thought experiment: Is this quote from a left winger or RWNJ?
Nelle
@dmsilev: Rick Perry has been in government most of his life, yet I suspect he is a multi-millionaire. Funny, that.
Kristine
Welp, I’m in a clinical study to evaluate a 2-shot regimen of the J&J vaccine. They test to see if you have antibodies–not sure what happens if that’s the case. But it’s been an interesting experience so far.
The Moar You Know
@schrodingers_cat: Christ that’s easy. Left-winger.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
Cocaine Mitch’s wife is corrupt! Who could have known.
Baud
@schrodingers_cat:
All left wing complaints.
schrodingers_cat
@The Moar You Know: Yes you are right. It is a leftie from India. But many of the talking points could have come from RWNJ too.
Ken
No, quite ordinary. Someone’s not been paying attention to how the Republicans operate.
schrodingers_cat
@Baud: I find the delusional whininess similar to RWNJs.
Bruuuuce
@schrodingers_cat: The talking points are similar, but the grammar and spelling were too good, and there was too little personal invective, for it to be a RWNJ
Uncle Jeffy
I know Ben Carson was incompetent, but corrupt ( dining set notwithstanding)?
Ken
Didn’t we just establish that once someone leaves office they can’t be convicted for crimes committed during their time in office? You can’t tell me that important legal principle only applies to the President.
Benw
@SiubhanDuinne:
Whate’er order,
You’ve reckoned,
Don’t exclaim
“I’m second!”
It’s loopy, silly,
Just absurd,
To keep going
Past “I’m third!”
:)
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
@schrodingers_cat:
“cheques”is a dead give away.
Bruuuuce
@Ken:
There. FTFY
Shalimar
@dmsilev: Rick Perry was deeply involved in the Ukraine scandal, attempting to force a Ukrainian energy company to add several of his Texas billionaire campaign donors to their board. IIRC, he resigned to keep his involvement from being investigated.
karen marie
@dmsilev: Make no mistake – Perry was as corrupt as the rest of his “amigos.”
schrodingers_cat
Deleted double comment
schrodingers_cat
@David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch: Good catch.
schrodingers_cat
@Bruuuuce: Good point.
NotMax
@SiubhanDuinne
(with apologies to G&S)
My eyes are fully open to the comment situation
At times edit and revise it ’til it reads a short summation
Though some numbers here are deemed to be especially propitious
Makes the sport of claiming those spots ancillarily ambitious
Now I do not wish to perish by the sword or by the dagger
But a jackal may indulge a little pardonable swagger
Yet the magnitude of digit whether prior placed or latter
Has naught affect on substance so it really doesn’t matter!
.
The Moar You Know
@zhena gogolia: You just made my point far better than I did. Now Joe Biden is the president of the country, and yet nobody seems to need to know what he’s up to. And we don’t. He’s handling it.
Don’t think that lesson is lost on the entirety of the media, who have gone from sirloin with champagne to dog food since January. They have discovered that a foul-mouthed unstable pervert psycho clown in charge of America makes them money. What do you think will happen next election cycle? That they’ll promote or even bother to give airtime to the guy who fixed COVID and didn’t cause a scene every day?
Baud
@NotMax:
Damn.
Benw
@brendancalling: Sending you a virtual hug. I know how it feels
MisterForkbeard
@schrodingers_cat: I’m going with performative lefty.
I’ve heard similar things from my local indivisible members.
karen marie
@The Moar You Know: It’s not just the money. Now, to cover Biden, they’d actually have to do some work to report substantive issues instead of just rolling tape.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
I wish Leo McKern was around to do a far lefty critique with his impeccable command of the Queen’s English.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@schrodingers_cat:
left-winger and non American. That guy who moved to Florida from Britain when he was five and still has a British accent
ETA: Nathan Robinson
cain
@Baud:
You know how I feel about #2.
Keith P.
@David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch: Who weighs cocaine in pounds?
schrodingers_cat
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Not Nathan Robinson but I am sure he reads The Guardian.
cain
@brendancalling:
JoyceH
Maybe a faint glimmer of changing times? Remember how irksome it was when the major media would incessantly go hang around rural diners to interview Trump voters? Well, CNN was just out at an ice fishing venue in Minnesota to interview Biden voters. You could have knocked me over with a feather!
NotMax
@Keith P.
Mallory Archer?
:)
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Fredo and that nut job lady they hired to be his girlfriend?
cain
@JoyceH:
Maybe it is a sign that liberal voters make money for the media?
craigie
I have a question: do fish rot from the head?
NotMax
@craigie
Not the roly-poly ones.
;)
andy
i would call this leverage if i didn’t suspect mitch would jettison her ass in a second if he felt he had to.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@NotMax: Yes, the roly-poly ones.
Patricia Kayden
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Patricia Kayden: I think a lot about the as-yet unknown long-term effects of this disease, and that trump had a very severe case of it.
PPCLI
@NotMax: That might be my favorite joke of all time.
The version I heard has some misdirection:
Freud often studied intermediate states: between anger and love, between passion and release. What did Freud believe came between fear and sex?
A: Fünf.
It also works in Danish and Norwegian, except you need Kierkegaard resp. Ibsen (for example) instead of Freud, and the answer is fem.
PPCLI
@Ken: What’s extraordinary is that the IG hadn’t been replaced months before the report had a chance to be finished. Mitch is clearly slipping.
Martin
Well, Netanyahu finally got his call, but it was with Harris and not Biden. Someone’s team got relegated.
jonas
I happened to meet a businessman from NY a number of years ago who knew Elaine Chao well back in the day when she was the head of some agency that had to do with ocean cargo and the dockyards in NYC, which of course meant she dealt regularly with the very clean and transparent consortium of mafiosi and longshoreman unions who control that business. This was before she married McConnell and got into politics, but he said she was whip smart and knew the shipping business backwards and forwards.
The point of the story? Chao is no dummy. She knows *exactly* how things work and what ethics rules are. She also knows they’re for shit and that she’s basically invulnerable, so sit on it, peons.
Martin
Senate should reform the reading of a bill to require the person who demanded it to remain in the chamber. As soon as they leave, the clerk can stop and business can resume.
Same should hold for the filibuster. Turn it into a speaking filibuster. Must stay on topic. All members voting against cloture must be present. This is kindergarden level policymaking. If you vote to extend debate, you have to be present for that debate.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Martin: damn, Joe knows how to hold a grudge… and I couldn’t be happier about it. Bibi spent the last twenty years becoming an increasingly aggressive and partisan auxiliary Repubilcan, he fucked around, now he’s finding out.
I wonder to what extent Biden’s rubbing it in because he believes, as I do, that Bibi is, among other things, a nasty racist.
Patricia Kayden
Patricia Kayden
@Martin: Yep. Otherwise, it’s just wasting time and trolling.
Ruff the dog
@Martin: yes yes yes!
Ohio Mom
Brendancalling:
Your nym is so familiar — you were on another blog I used to read. Atrios? Susie Madrak? Someplace else?
Anyway, you tug on my heart every time you talk about missing your son. Hoping the border opens soon for you.
Steeplejack
@dmsilev:
Here you go (for example):
Sebastian
@dmsilev:
Excuse me but Rick Perry was so corrupt, he had a whole more or less publicly known set of rules for quid pro quo while he was TX gov.
Jeffro
@Steeplejack: @Sebastian:
may the prosecutions be numerous these next four years…numerous, and fruitful!
Steeplejack
@SiubhanDuinne:
What I remember is regular murmurs about her close ties to the family shipping business and through that to the Chinese government. But mostly her record as Labor secretary was pretty dismal.
Mike G
She’s married to Moscow Mitch, the only surprise would be if she wasn’t corrupt, self-dealing scum.
Sebastian
@Jeffro:
A cornucopia of plenty and abundance. Let the indictments rain like mana from heaven!
Another Scott
ICYMI, Nick Caraway at JuanitaJean – The Gap:
I think he’s right to be worried.
I think Nancy and Chuck and Joey B and Kamala understand this. I often wonder if Joey M and Kyrsten and their colleagues do though…
:-/
Cheers,
Scott.
karen marie
@Sebastian: I’ve been waiting my wole life (63 years) to see even one Republican criminal get what they deserve, and it hasn’t happened yet. I’m not going to hold my breath that it will happen any time before I’m dead.
Another Scott
And it’s not even Friday yet.
(via NotLarrySabato)
Cheers,
Scott.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Another Scott: again with the momma’s boys? and this one is 42?
Jim Appleton
@SiubhanDuinne:
That’s oddly Seuss-like.
phdesmond
@SiubhanDuinne:
this should be part of scripture.
Another Scott
re Cuomo and the COVID-19 nursing home death counts…
That would explain a lot, wouldn’t it?
(sigh)
(via nycsouthpaw)
Cheers,
Scott.
phdesmond
bravo!
RandomMonster
@Baud: Every number should be 2.
Steeplejack
@Martin:
Norman Ornstein was great on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show tonight about how the filibuster could be brought to heel (if not gutted) without destroying its time-honored tradition. ?
Platonicspoof
@Kristine:
Thank you!
You’re making a real contribution for everyone everywhere.
Captain C
@andy: If there’s anything to be had on Moscow Mitch, I’m sure his wife’s family has it. He’s not leaving this marriage of convenience unless things get much worse.
SiubhanDuinne
@NotMax:
Loud huzzahs, deafening cheers, and a spontaneous standing ovation!!
evodevo
@Bruuuuce:
Yes…no mention of ‘bortion or immigration or cancel culture…dead giveaway that it is TwitterRose or a Villager…