Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao Used Office to Benefit Family Shipping Business

confirmed Importance 8/10 ~1 min read 3 sources 5 actors

Regulatory Capture Legislative Capture Intelligence Penetration

Inspector General report revealed Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao repeatedly used her office and staff to benefit her family’s shipping business, Foremost Group, which has extensive ties to China. Chao directed staff to help with father’s travel, edit his Wikipedia page, send his books to Chinese officials, and promote the family business. She planned official trip to China including family members and meetings beneficial to Foremost Group before ethics officials raised concerns. Her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, received millions in gifts from her father. DOJ declined to prosecute despite IG criminal referral.

Sources & Citations

[1] Elaine Chao Used DOT Resources for Personal Errands, Family Business · Mar 3, 2021 Tier 1

[2] Elaine Chao abused office to help family business, inspector general finds · Mar 3, 2021 Tier 1

[3] How Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao got rich off China · Mar 17, 2018 Tier 2

Tiers Tier 1 court records & gov docs · Tier 2 established outlets · Tier 3 regional & specialty press · Tier 4 opinion or single-source. Methodology →

Cite this entry

The Cascade Ledger. “Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao Used Office to Benefit Family Shipping Business.” The Capture Cascade Timeline, June 13, 2019. https://capturecascade.org/event/2019-06-13--elaine-chao-ethics-violations/