The Pentagon’s inspector general is investigating acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan due to allegations that he showed favoritism towards Boeing, the company where he worked for 30 years before joining the Trump administration.
“The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General has decided to investigate complaints we recently received that Acting Secretary Patrick Shanahan allegedly took actions to promote his former employer, Boeing, and disparage its competitors, allegedly in violation of ethics rules,” IG spokeswoman Dwrena Allen said in a statement.
“In his recent Senate Armed Services Committee testimony, Acting Secretary Shanahan stated that he supported an investigation into these allegations,” she said. “We have informed him that we have initiated this investigation.”
Politico reported in January that Shanahan ridiculed Boeing competitor Lockheed Martin while he was deputy defense secretary during meetings at the Pentagon. Shanahan reportedly said that the Lockheed Martin F-35 program was “fucked up” and Lockheed Martin “doesn’t know how to run a program.”
[Related: Trump’s transportation chief demands review of how the FAA approved Boeing’s 737 MAX]
Shanahan, who in an ethics agreement vowed to recuse himself from certain matters related to Boeing, has rejected the allegations of misconduct.
Earlier this month, watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint calling for the Pentagon inspector general to conduct an investigation into Shanahan’s conduct.
“We don’t know whether Shanahan had direct involvement in decisions affecting Boeing, but even the appearance of bias raises serious concerns and potential ethics violations,” CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said in a statement. “It is imperative that the Office of Inspector General fully investigate Shanahan’s conduct.”
[Also read: Pentagon finds $12.8 billion for Trump’s border wall]
