AWKWARD

GOP Leader's Wife Part of 'War on Coal'

Sits on a philanthropic board.

While Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell may be lambasting his Democratic opponent for helping wage a "war on coal" it turns out he might want to get his own house in order first. McConnell's wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, is on the board of directors of Bloomberg Philanthropies, which has dropped a cool $50 million into the Sierra Club's "Beyond Coal" effort. That campaign's stated goal is to kill the coal industry. The group even features a map of Kentucky with plants represented by skulls and crossbones. Chao also sits on the board of Wells Fargo, which caused a stir in 2013 when it announced it was divesting from surface coal mining in Appalachia for environmental reasons. On that board, Chao made $332,350 from compensation, stock, and fees in 2011.