One year in, GOP Solyndra investigation remains a gigantic nothingburger
One year ago today, Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) chairs of the House Energy Committee and Oversight Subcommittee respectively sent a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu seeking documents and information about a $535 million loan guarantee awarded to Solyndra, Inc.
That letter marked the beginning of an investigation that has since involved 31 more congressional letters, five congressional committee hearings, nine congressional committee staff briefings, 187,000 pages of documents from the administration, 72,000 pages of documents from Solyndra investors, testimony from five administration officials from three different departments, and a sworn committee interview with an Obama bundler.
What are the results of this expansive (and no doubt expensive) investigation?
Bupkis. Nothing.
The Solyndra loan appears today, as it appeared a year ago, a decision made based on merits, undone by economic shifts in the international solar market, with embarrassing political optics. There has been no evidence of wrongdoing. There is no scandal.
(For details on Solyndra, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, [deep breath] here, here, and here. Attempts to unearth a scandal worthy to be called the next Solyndra have been no more fruitful: see here, here, and here.)
The wasted time and money have not daunted Upton and Stearns. They are still taking every opportunity to drop tidbits to the media about possible subpoenas, possible contempt charges, and narrowly averted subpoenas and contempt charges, working furiously to conjure the atmospherics of scandal. The media, of course, remains eager to aid them.
The investigation is no longer about wasted money or cronyism. If no damning evidence has emerged by now, the chances of it emerging in document 187,001 are remote. Instead, the investigation has become about itself. Its about keeping Solyndra in the news as an election-year attack on Obama. Its about former moderates Stearns and Upton auditioning for roles in a Tea Partydominated House. (Poor Upton, no matter how he tap dances, he just cant seem to make the right applaud.)
*snip*
More at the link.
One year ago today, Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) chairs of the House Energy Committee and Oversight Subcommittee respectively sent a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu seeking documents and information about a $535 million loan guarantee awarded to Solyndra, Inc.
That letter marked the beginning of an investigation that has since involved 31 more congressional letters, five congressional committee hearings, nine congressional committee staff briefings, 187,000 pages of documents from the administration, 72,000 pages of documents from Solyndra investors, testimony from five administration officials from three different departments, and a sworn committee interview with an Obama bundler.
What are the results of this expansive (and no doubt expensive) investigation?
Bupkis. Nothing.
The Solyndra loan appears today, as it appeared a year ago, a decision made based on merits, undone by economic shifts in the international solar market, with embarrassing political optics. There has been no evidence of wrongdoing. There is no scandal.
(For details on Solyndra, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, [deep breath] here, here, and here. Attempts to unearth a scandal worthy to be called the next Solyndra have been no more fruitful: see here, here, and here.)
The wasted time and money have not daunted Upton and Stearns. They are still taking every opportunity to drop tidbits to the media about possible subpoenas, possible contempt charges, and narrowly averted subpoenas and contempt charges, working furiously to conjure the atmospherics of scandal. The media, of course, remains eager to aid them.
The investigation is no longer about wasted money or cronyism. If no damning evidence has emerged by now, the chances of it emerging in document 187,001 are remote. Instead, the investigation has become about itself. Its about keeping Solyndra in the news as an election-year attack on Obama. Its about former moderates Stearns and Upton auditioning for roles in a Tea Partydominated House. (Poor Upton, no matter how he tap dances, he just cant seem to make the right applaud.)
*snip*
More at the link.
