WASHINGTON — Representatives Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.) have formally referred Energy Secretary Chris Wright to the Justice Department for potential prosecution, accusing him of lying to Congress during a June hearing about the cancellation of billions of dollars in green energy grants.
The Democrats allege Wright falsely testified that the termination of those grants was not politically motivated, a claim they say violates 18 U.S.C. § 1001, the federal statute prohibiting false statements to Congress.
During his June testimony before a House committee, Wright said the decisions to terminate the grants were based on programmatic reviews and that political considerations played no role.
A congressional referral to the Justice Department carries no legal force on its own — it compels no action from federal prosecutors — but it formally places the allegations on the department's docket and raises public pressure on the attorney general to respond.
The green energy grants at issue represent billions of dollars in federal funding. Their cancellation over the past year drew sharp criticism from environmental groups and members of Congress who accused the administration of using bureaucratic cover to kill climate programs for political reasons.
Referrals for lying to Congress are rare but have resulted in prosecutions in prior administrations. The Justice Department faces no set deadline to decide whether to open a formal inquiry.
The referral puts Wright in a difficult position: a formal investigation would consume significant time and resources at the Department of Energy at a moment when the Trump administration is aggressively reshaping federal energy policy away from renewables and toward fossil fuels.
