XPost: alt.law-enforcement, talk.politics.guns, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   XPost: alt.politics.org.fbi, sac.politics, alt.gm   
   From: zinn@reno.us   
      
   The Biden administration is loaning billions of dollars to General Motors   
   to make electric car batteries after months of lobbying from a top Biden   
   adviser's brother.   
      
   The Department of Energy announced it will lend $2.5 billion to the auto   
   giant to manufacture lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, part of   
   President Biden's goal to make the U.S. auto fleet 50 percent electric by   
   the end of the decade. The loan is the latest Biden-era windfall for   
   General Motors, which over the past year has paid Beltway lobbyist Jeff   
   Ricchetti nearly $350,000 to lobby the government on federal subsidies for   
   electric vehicles and charging stations. Ricchetti is the younger brother   
   and former lobbying partner of White House adviser Steve Ricchetti. The   
   longtime Biden aide, who lobbied for GM until 2008, has been directly   
   involved in discussions with Congress about funding for electric vehicles   
   and charging stations.   
      
   The Ricchetti relationship has long raised ethics concerns in Washington.   
   White House ethics lawyers forced Steve Ricchetti to recuse himself from   
   matters involving four of his brother's clients, though not GM. The   
   Washington Post reported last year that Ricchetti's work on issues related   
   to GM undercut Biden's pledge to "restore ethics in government."   
      
   The loan to GM is the first the Department of Energy has made since 2010   
   under its Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. The   
   controversial initiative has been marred by a series of ill-advised loans,   
   including $530 million to Fisker Automotive, a now-defunct hybrid car   
   maker, and $50 million to a van company linked to a prominent Obama donor.   
      
   GM has enjoyed extensive access to the Biden administration. Biden in   
   November visited a GM plant and in January praised the company for   
   announcing plans to build a $7 billion battery manufacturing plant, the   
   same facility now slated to receive the Department of Energy loan. The   
   head of GM's public policy unit and its general counsel in March met at   
   the White House with Steve Ricchetti, the Washington Free Beacon reported.   
      
   Jeff Ricchetti's firm and the White House did not respond to requests for   
   comment. The brothers have previously denied that they discuss matters   
   involving Jeff's lobbying clients.   
      
   Published under: Biden Administration, Corruption, Department of Energy,   
   General Motors, Jeff Ricchetti, Steve Ricchetti   
      
   https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/all-in-the-family-biden-admin-   
   loans-billions-to-company-repped-by-top-aides-lobbyist-brother/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)