Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio is calling for an investigation into Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao after reports of alleged Kentucky favoritism.
Chao, who is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, faced backlash after a Politico report found that the secretary spent more time in the couple’s home state than any others when meeting with officials seeking DOT grants.
When the report first broke, McConnell’s reelection campaign leaned into it, claiming the benefits to Kentucky make the senator “an asset.”
Mitch McConnell is a Kentucky Asset. https://t.co/TXLzmxoSoW
— Team Mitch (@Team_Mitch) October 7, 2019
ICYMI pic.twitter.com/jpx5zcz0a1
— Team Mitch (@Team_Mitch) October 8, 2019
DeFazio found the McConnell campaign’s nonchalance about the report concerning.
“I would expect Secretary Chao to meet with individuals from her home state more regularly than other states, but the sheer volume … is troubling,” the House Democrat told Politico. “Even more troubling is the fact that Senator McConnell’s campaign touted the Politico article on social media.”
For that reason, DeFazio called for a full investigation by the DOT’s inspector general into Chao’s alleged favoritism.
“These allegations were first raised by left wing advocacy groups and hashed out in the media, and the Department has previously fully responded to them,” a Transportation Department representative told the Washington Examiner. “They are politically motivated and intended to waste time. While the Department will always be cooperative and responsive to appropriate requests, DOT looks forward to a prompt and final resolution of these questions.”
Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves, who is the ranking member on the House Transportation Committee, called DeFazio’s request for an investigation a “political hit job.”
