WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Republicans on a House Energy and Commerce Committee panel Thursday subpoenaed White House communications regarding a loan secured for bankrupt Solyndra.
The White House made a last-minute attempt to fend off the subpoena, but the administration was overruled in what some Democrats are calling an unprecedented move, The Washington Post reported.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz said the loan guarantee for solar energy company Solyndra by the Department of Energy was merit-based and had nothing to do with support President Obama has received from George Kasier, an investor in the company. Solyndra filed for bankruptcy in August after receiving a $535 million loan in 2009 to develop clean energy.
"The White House has been clear with the committee that we are willing to cooperate with legitimate oversight requests that are tailored to balance the important institutional interests of both branches. We are disappointed that the committee has refused to discuss their requests with us in good faith, and has instead chosen a partisan route, proceeding with subpoenas that are unprecedented and unwarranted," Schultz said.
Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, voiced his concern that two of the first three companies to receive the clean energy loans have filed for bankruptcy.
"I believe the president owes it to the American people to explain in detail what happened to their tax money," Stearns said.
