COZY

Emails Expose Coordination Between Mitch McConnell and His Wife, Elaine Chao

Elaine Chao is Trump’s transportation secretary.

Elaine Chao, President Trump’s secretary of transportation, has met at least 10 times with Kentucky business leaders or politicians after email requests made by her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). A cache of more than 800 emails—obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the watchdog group American Oversight—shows that some of those meetings led to McConnell’s associates being granted their wishes by the powerful Transportation Secretary—from infrastructure grants to highway project funding. In at least one example, the lobbyist had donated to McConnell’s re-election campaign. Both offices told Politico that it was normal for Cabinet members and the Senate majority leader to work together. Austin Evers, the founder of American Oversight, said the emails show that: “Secretary Chao built a political operation in her office to favor Kentucky.”