Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said on Fox News Sunday that he was looking into whether the Obama administration went too far in trying to keep the solar energy company Solyndra afloat.
Issa, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said his panel would look for “political interference,” and that the “American people will judge the overall policy."
Solyndra, which went under several weeks ago, received a $535 million loan guarantee in 2009, and its bankruptcy has caused many Republicans to question whether the Obama administration pushed too hard for clean energy investments.
“The American people have a right to know that, on those rare occasions in which their money is used to invest in private operations – if you will, take bets on capitalism – that this is very well vetted, very well thought out and without political interference,” Issa said.
Issa also there was no comparison between the administration’s actions with Solyndra and his own advocacy for federal loan guarantees for clean energy companies in his state.
“There’s a big difference between sending a letter in for an existing pot of money for a program that I voted against and having the ability to act to pick winners and losers,” Issa said.
