It has become impossible to deny that both Hunter and James Biden have profited from access to President Joe Biden, so Democratic Party apologists have fallen back on claiming Biden never changed policy to benefit his family.
They won’t have that excuse when they defend new climate czar John Podesta’s role in suspending liquefied natural gas exports and the money his lobbyist brother will make representing foreign firms and governments profiting from the decision. [emphasis, links added]
Considering that Biden illegally installed Podesta as his new top climate diplomat in a manner specifically designed to avoid Senate confirmation, Congress has every right to investigate Podesta’s role in enacting the LNG export ban and how many of his brother Tony’s current and former clients stand to benefit financially.
When Biden first appointed John Kerry to be the first special presidential envoy for climate, there was no statutory requirement that the position get Senate confirmation.
But then, in 2021, the Democratically controlled House and Senate passed the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision that any “special envoy,” or post performing a similar function, must obtain Senate approval.
When Kerry announced he was leaving the administration to join the Biden reelection campaign, Biden should have either left the post vacant or appointed a successor via Senate confirmation.
Instead, the president created a new “senior adviser to the president for international climate policy” position and named John Podesta to the post without any consultation in the Senate.
Not only did Biden give Podesta all of Kerry’s old power and responsibilities, but he also advertised Podesta as Kerry’s successor. This is a blatant violation of federal law and the separation of powers.
John Podesta has been in Washington for many years, and there is much the Senate could learn from a statutorily required confirmation process.
Not only does he have many ties to far-left nonprofit organizations that have spent hundreds of millions of dollars influencing climate policy, but John’s brother Tony is a lobbyist who has clients that would benefit immensely from any decrease in the ability of American energy firms to export their products.
Over the past decade, Tony Podesta has represented the Qatar-linked Golden Pass company, the Bulgarian Protos Energy, and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Each sells billions of dollars worth of natural gas to Europe every year.
When John Podesta helped push through Biden’s LNG export ban this year, all these entities profited greatly. How much did Tony Podesta profit? How much did John Podesta know about his brother’s client list?
John Podesta should be forced to answer these questions and many more. Thankfully, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) have sent a letter to the White House demanding answers.
Not only should John Podesta come before Congress and answer under oath, but the White House should suspend all Podesta’s climate activities until he has been properly confirmed by the Senate as is required by statute.
Top photo by KWON JUNHO on Unsplash
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