Elaine Chao’s alleged ‘misuse of power’ highlighted by the department’s inspector general

The US Department of Justice was requested to launch an investigation in December to scrutinize the work done by Elaine Chao, former US Transportation Secretary in the administration of US President Donald Trump, after the inspector general of the Transportation Department accused Chao of misusing her power and for personal gain.

The former transportation secretary allegedly helped in promoting her family business of shipping, which maintained close ties with Chinese companies, according to US media reports. 

The transport department’s deputy inspector, Mitch Behm, sent in a detailed 44-page report to US lawmakers in addition to a formal letter that called for “a formal investigation into potential misuses of position”, reported The New York Times. 

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Even after frequent notifications provided by the inspector general of alleged misuse of power, the criminal and public integrity divisions of the US Department of Justice refused to take any solid actions in the final days of the former President’s term in office, according to a report released on Wednesday, reported The New York Times.

Chao, who went public with her resignation a day after the violent mob supporting Trump attacked the US Capitol on January 6, which was supposedly “unrelated” to the upcoming investigation of the former secretary. 

Chao, who is the wife of US Senate minority leader and prominent GOP lawmaker Mitch McConnell, during her term of service planned a visit to China along with her sister and father, who run the family business. According to the inspector general’s report, the visit to China, which was later canceled, raised red flags and ethical concerns among the department officials. 

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The leader of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which is also responsible for approving related secretaries, Peter DeFazio stated that “Public servants, especially those responsible for leading tens of thousands of other public servants, must know that they serve the public and not their family’s private commercial interests”, reported the New York Times.