As mentioned above, the Biden Inflation Acceleration Act funds a $380 BILLION green slush fund that is getting passed out to environmental groups, the wind and solar industries, and leftwing advocacy organizations. We predicted this massive honey pot of money would invite swindles and payoffs.
Right on cue, Biden’s federal loan guarantee czar, Jigar Shah, has reportedly been running a scheme where donating to his enviro non-profit unlocks access to the federal loans he controls. The Free Beacon reports:
The Cleantech Leaders Roundtable has seen a surge in its influence and revenue since its former president, Shah, was tapped to lead the powerful $400 billion Department of Energy Loan Programs Office (LPO) in 2021.
The group, which didn’t have a website until three years ago, now regularly hosts sold-out receptions featuring Shah for its paying members across the country. Last week, the DOE Loans Program Office and Cleantech Leaders co-hosted an invitation-only conference in Washington, D.C., for companies looking for loans—and Cleantech Leaders was in charge of the invite list and ticket sales.
During this time, companies connected to the trade association have raked in cash from Shah’s office. Last week, the Loan Programs Office approved a $3 billion loan to a solar company led by Cleantech Leaders’s board director. The group’s corporate sponsors have also pulled in funding…
The DOE said Cleantech Leaders was in charge of the guest list and sponsors for the event.
But the group’s tight control of the invitation list for a government co-hosted conference irked some energy industry insiders. One said it looked like a “pay-to-play scheme.”
Ya think?
When Senator Josh Hawley tried to pin Shah down on this yesterday, Shah denied loan applicants paid to hear him speak, then admitted it was true, then said “I’m not that important,” and then froze like a deer in headlights:
