SHADY

White House Releases Solyndra Emails

Raise new questions about administration’s role.

Emails released Friday by the White House revealed new connections between the Obama administration and Solyndra—adding more questions to the heated political battle over the failed energy company. The showed that an Obama administration appointee, Steven Spinner, at the Energy Department had pressured the White House for the $533 million loan, and his wife was a partner at the law firm that represented the failed solar-panel maker. The Energy Department said Spinner had been “recused from engaging in any discussions on decisions affecting specific loan applications in which his spouse's law firm was involved out of concern for the appearance of a conflict of interest." In the emails, Spinner says the president and the vice-president were “breathing down my neck.” Other emails show the Treasury Department was concerned about Energy’s decision to restructure Solyndra’s debt earlier this year. (This item has been corrected to reflect that Spinner's wife worked for a law firm that represented Solyndra, not for Solyndra itself.)