Buried Report Catalogues Trump Transportation Department Support of Shipping Business; Barr Refused to Prosecute

In January 2017, upon confirmation as secretary of the Department of Transportation, Elaine Chao committed to separating herself from her family’s shipping interests. Looking back, it’s clear she didn’t.

During the Trump administration, itself awash with emoluments and ethics concerns, Chao’s ability to gain financially flew mostly under the radar. Government watchdogs failed to challenge Chao’s repeated wrongdoings.

Chao is married to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky.

The Chao family business is deeply entangled with Beijing. The family dry bulk ship company has borrowed 100s of millions of dollars from Chinese banks, all of which are partly or fully owned by the communist regime.

In 2019, Elaine Chao faced some criticism for public appearances with her family members that seemed to be elevating the profile of the family business long after she was sworn in as transportation secretary.

The report shows clearly that numerous documented Chao actions could be felonies under federal laws designed to avoid official favoritism.

Walter Shaub, the former head of the Office of Government Ethics, said […]