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Solyndra congressional hearing goes nowhere fast

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
September 24th, 2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

A congressional hearing intended to gather facts regarding bankrupt California solar energy company Solyndra Inc. - since dubbed "Solyndragate," went nowhere fast. Top executives with the company pleaded the fifth dozens of times, but gave members the opportunity to pose dozens of questions about the loss of a half billion dollars in government loans from the Obama administration.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Solyndra Inc. CEO Brian Harrison and the company's chief financial officer, Bill Stover had informed the House Energy and Commerce Committee that they were going to invoke their Fifth Amendment right to decline to testify to avoid self-incrimination.

Lawmakers still posed questions for the executives, leading to complaints from committee Democrats that House Republicans were badgering the witnesses.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), pointed out that the Supreme Court had previously ruled it's considered prosecutorial misconduct when the government calls witnesses with the flagrant intent of questioning them to invoke their Fifth Amendment.

Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Stearns said that Democrats had agreed to the format ahead of time. "I agreed to the format. That doesn't mean I agreed to badgering the witnesses," ranking committee member Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) said.

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), told Fox News that the members asked questions that they would have liked to have answered.

Regardless, silence from the two executives will not stop committee leaders from pursuing their investigation into the $528 million loan Solyndra received from the Energy Department in 2009.

Lawmakers say they want the administration to turn over all communications related to Solyndra, as well as all communications between Energy and the Treasury, which lent Solyndra the money.

Committee leaders say the White House may have violated the law when it restructured Solyndra's loan last February in order that private investors moved ahead of taxpayers for repayment in case of default.

"We are also determined to know why DOE allowed the taxpayers to be subordinated to the private investors during that restructuring in violation of the clear letter of the law. What we do not know is whether the Solyndra executives here today have something to hide. Was all the information they submitted to DOE accurate and complete?" Stearns added.

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Article brought to you by: Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)