AS INVESTIGATION REVEALS THOSE CLOSEST TO PRESIDENT OBAMA WERE WARNED ABOUT THE SOLYNDRA LOAN, WHITE HOUSE VIOLATES OWN TRANSPARENCY PLEDGE

WASHINGTON, OCT. 17, 2011 – Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, responded o the recent letter from White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler that the White House would not provide internal White House communications related to Solyndra. On October 5, 2011, the committee leaders requested the internal communications after recently produced documents revealed the President’s closest confidantes monitored the Solyndra loan.

Stearns made the following statement:

“What is the White House trying to hide? Since day one of the Solyndra investigation, the Obama administration has fought us tooth and nail, even forcing us to subpoena documents from OMB.  Along the way, they have repeatedly claimed there’s nothing to see and no wrongdoing to uncover, but the facts have proven we are on the right trail. For an administration that campaigned and governs under the banner of transparency, such an overt refusal to share emails directly relevant to an ongoing investigation is deeply troubling.”

“Our investigation has revealed that those closest to the President were keenly aware of Solyndra from its initial approval in March 2009, through the President’s visit in May of 2010, to this year’s restructuring that violated the plain letter of the law. The public has a right to know of the role the West Wing played in the Solyndra mess and whether they brought influence to bear on the loan’s initial review and ill-advised restructuring.”

“American taxpayers who now find themselves on the hook for a half billion dollars because of this administration’s unrelenting support for Solyndra deserve answers. We’ve encountered numerous administration roadblocks over the last eight months, and each time, we have made it clear that bureaucratic stonewalling will not stop us from getting answers. We intend to pursue this investigation as far as it leads, and we fully expect the White House's cooperation.”

View a copy of Stearns’ October 5, 2011, letter to the White House HERE.

View a copy of the White House Counsel’s refusal to cooperate HERE.