Next week, Republican congressmen Cliff Stearns and Fred Upton will take
the next step in their party's campaign to turn the failure of Solyndra into a political scandal: They are going to subpoena the White House.
The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee investigating Solyndra will vote Thursday to issue a subpoena to the White House for all internal documents on the failed California solar company, including President Barack Obama's BlackBerry messages.
Reps. Fred Upton and Cliff Stearns said in a joint statement Friday that they were taking the extraordinary step because White House lawyers have repeatedly rejected their requests but have not formally invoked executive privilege.
"Subpoenaing the White House is a serious step that, unfortunately, appears necessary in light of the Obama administration's stonewall on Solyndra," the Republican lawmakers said.
Although Stearns and Upton will both wax poetic about how the investigation is necessary because government shouldn't pick winners and losers, they won't mean a word they say. Before taking on their new roles, each of them sought federal loan guarantees for energy firms in their home states—exactly the same sorts of companies as Solyndra.
In Stearns' case, he applauded a $95.5 million loan from the energy department to a local battery maker:
"I am honored to join in welcoming Saft's Li-ion battery manufacturing facility to the Cecil Commerce Center, which underscores that this is a good place to do business," Stearns said at the plant's ground-breaking.
"In addition, as a member of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus, I recognize the contributions of these advanced rechargeable batteries in meeting our energy needs."
And in Upton's case:
Upton just last year was among the Michigan lawmakers who wrote to Energy Secretary Steven Chu calling for “prompt completion and consideration of loan applications” from Michigan companies, including GM, Chrysler — and Severstal.
Since the Solyndra story broke and Upton started hammering the White House over it, other news outlets have noted Upton’s support for a loan guarantee programs aimed at helping companies developing renewable energy, as well as nuclear and coal.
In 2007, Upton supported a measure that created the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program, targeting manufacturers and suppliers looking to retool U.S. factories to build high-fuel economy vehicles, USA Today reported in late September.
Severstal was a huge beneficiary of the program — winning the $730 million loan in July of this year after Upton signed the Michigan delegation letter to Chu.
So even as Stearns and Upton scream bloody murder about the federal government supporting private companies in the development of alternative sources of energy, it's a practice that they have long supported—just like their leader, House Speaker John Boehner. And despite their high and mighty rhetoric, they're just playing a political game. They don't give a damn about the issues at hand. They just want to draw blood.