Obama’s OMB Ignores Congressional Subpoena for Documents

Obama’s OMB Ignores Congressional Subpoena for Documents

Another arm of the Obama administration is thumbing its nose at congressional oversight and ignoring a subpoena for information. This time it’s Obama’s Office of Management and Budget failing to fork over documentation relating to stimulus money sent to a green energy company. (Figures.)

The Washington Examiner has the details:

The subpoena is for thousands of documents requested months ago by the committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations concerning OMB’s evaluation of a Department of Energy economic stimulus program loan guarantee worth $535 million for Solyndra, Inc., which makes solar energy panels.

The energy and commerce panel is chaired by Rep. Fred Upton, while Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-FL, is chairman of the subcommittee. Jacob Lew is director of OMB, while Steven Chu is Secretary of Energy.

Obama appointees at OMB have produced lots of documents in response to the subcommittee’s original request in March, but many were so redacted of relevant information as to be useful. More important, they have simply refused to give the Upton/Stearns panel many other documents that could shed vital light on the loan guarantee decision-making process, including who drove it and why.

Yesterday, the Stearns subcommittee issued an ultimatum, telling OMB it has until Monday morning at 9 am to comply with the subpoena or face the consequences: …

So much for transparency.

Be sure to read the whole thing, one of Solyndra’s financial backers was also a big time fundraiser for President Obama.