The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. September 17, 2019 House Dems Investigating Elaine Chao for Ethics Violations ---------------------------------------------------------- House Democrats are investigating Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao for possible ethics violations and whether she used her office to benefit herself and her family. The House Oversight Committee is probing whether Chao took any action to benefit Foremost Group, a shipping company owned by her father and sisters, to "increase its influence and status with the Chinese government," including by sitting for interviews with Chinese media outlets where she appeared to represent both the U.S. government and Foremost Group. China has reportedly provided hundreds of millions of dollars in low-interest loans to the company. In June, reports emerged Secretary Chao was using her office to bolster projects benefiting her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mc Connell, in his home state of Kentucky. .