Is Elaine Working for Her Husband’s Senate Campaign On the Clock?
Last week we reported that Elaine Chao shirked her responsibilities with a series of meetings that failed to address what really matters to America’s workers. After meeting with George W. Bush, Elaine addressed a group of Kentucky businesspeople in Washington, DC. Elaine Chao is married to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the Republican Senate leader who is up for re-election in November; Elaine isn’t from Kentucky, but does reside there with her husband.
We dug a little deeper, and found something curious. Elaine Chao spoke to four Kentucky business groups on four separate occasions in the last five months. Here’s her itinerary:
- An October 4, 2007 speech to the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce in Paducah, Kentucky, where she bragged about doling out non-competitive grants with taxpayer dollars.
- An October 4, 2007 speech to the 23rd Annual Kentucky SHRM Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, where she once again accused American workers of having a “skills gap.”
- A January 24, 2008 speech to the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce in Owensboro, Kentucky, where she highlighted the “resiliency of our economy.”
- A February 28, 2008 speech to the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC, where she basically combined the three previous speeches to Kentucky business interest groups into one. (Is she short on material these days?)
That’s a lot of face-time for the Secretary of Labor to give to residents of one particular state, even if it is her sometime residence. While her husband is accountable only to the people of Kentucky, Elaine is the Secretary of Labor of the whole country. Besides, the same group of Kentuckians to whom Elaine spoke also met with Mitch McConnell in his Senate office that same day; why did they meet with each half of the power couple, just hours apart?
Elaine’s speech holds one possible clue: she mentions more than $5 million in grants from the Department of Labor recently awarded to Central Kentucky. That’s a lot of money for which I’m sure many Kentuckians are grateful.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any details about the group’s discussions with Sen. McConnell that same day. We’re sure their conversations dealt only with policy issues, like the importance of the $5 million influx to Kentucky’s economy from the Department of Labor, and not with any issues concerning the Senator’s important re-election campaign in November.
We sincerely hope the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce enjoyed its visit to Washington, DC last month. Meeting with both the Senate Minority Leader and the Secretary of Labor on the same day is quite the honor.
Oh, one more thing. We compiled this information just from what’s posted on Elaine’s Department of Labor website, which does not have her full schedule. We wonder: what else has Elaine been doing for her husband’s Senate campaign while serving in her capacity as the Secretary of Labor?
March 12th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
This is what they mean by “trickle down” theory:
While Elaine is using government time and equipment to campaign for her husband (family values) her Director of the Office of Administration and Management at the Mine Safety and Health Administration is doing the exact same thing for his own campaign. Mr. David Meyer is running for Fairfax City Council. Just like Elaine, he does his fund-raising from work (including long distance calls) and spends hours each day taking calls to and from his campaign office.
But David Meyer is one up on Elaine, because he uses some of the MSHA staff for his campaign.
David Meyer is just as crooked as Elaine when it comes to misappropriating government money for personal items and no-bid contracts to companies that MSHA managers have ties to. So you see, Elaine will let David Meyer break the Hatch Act all he wants because he helps her and her political appointees get those government contracts without having to obey the law.
See the greedy pigs rolling around in the mud together. Smell the dirty pigs. They are repulsive.
March 15th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
If you guys know in advance where she is going to be, lets greet her with a video camera.
Jim
March 17th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Were the Clinton-era Secretaries of Labor paragons of virtue?
I have no idea, don’t remember hearing much about them except for one of them being really short.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
she protects the owners of Churchill and Keenland two major horse racing tracks. The area around Churchill downs is full drug dealers and and ladies of night. They use illegals at Churchill downs. Where the kentucky derdy is held and other events. If you look at whar committees Mitch is and what Elaine also has power on. You cna see why they are married. I have heard and the Louisville Couirer is coming come out He is another Larry Craig. I just moved from away form Louisville. Support Andrew Horne for Senate and ditch Mtich.
March 26th, 2008 at 5:29 am
Elaine uses illegal immigrants to do the janitorial work at the building in Arlington where the Mine Safety agency headquarters is located. It sure beats paying for benefits and social security, and they are so happy to have the meager income that they don’t complain about the safety violations in the building.