It turns out it's not just
Darrell Issa:
Huffington Post has
uncovered even more Republican lawmakers who privately sought Federal loan guarantees for green energy companies in their districts while publicly accusing the Obama administration of 'crony capitalism' for doing the exact same thing.
The GOP-led House Oversight Committee may be accusing the White House of a "job killing" green energy agenda in a hearing Thursday -- but at least ten Republicans on the panel have signed letters seeking to land green energy jobs in their districts.
In dozens of letters obtained by The Huffington Post, the lawmakers, led by Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), argue convincingly about Department of Energy funding going to their favored projects, often touting the job-creating potential of numerous endeavors.
The issue erupted earlier this month when reports broke that the bankrupt solar manufacturer Solyndra, which got $535 million in loan guarantees from the stimulus bill, was raided by the FBI.
Although the guaranteed loan project began under the Bush administration, many Republicans were quick to hammer the deal as evidence of "cronyism" -- and proof that Obama's key green jobs effort was a huge bust.
My favorite example: GOP Rep. Dan Burton asked the Obama administration to deliver a $400 million loan guarantee to company in his state because it would create "almost a thousand full-time jobs." Burton's loan request was approved, but that hasn't stopped him from turning right around and calling the very same loan program "a scam." He signed six other letters requesting support for similar companies.
Republicans are desperate for a political scandal — the last thing they want to talk about is their refusal to move forward on jobs legislation. But it seems like every time they try to manufacture one, they not only come up dry, it turns out that the thing they were trying to call a scandal is something that they've been doing all along.
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