Lawmakers Seek Criminal Charges Against Energy Secretary Chris Wright

Democratic lawmakers Representative Zoe Lofgren and Representative Gabe Amo have requested that the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against Chris Wright, the U.S. Secretary of Energy. The request follows allegations that Wright lied during a June 10 congressional hearing when he denied that the termination of $7.6 billion in clean energy grants was based on the political identity of recipient states.

The lawmakers cite court documents from a California-led lawsuit in which Energy Department attorneys admitted the grant terminations were "based solely" on whether projects were located in Democratic-leaning states. All 16 states affected by the funding cuts did not vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 election. The funds were originally canceled by White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, who characterized the funding as part of a "Green New Scam."

The U.S. Department of Energy has denied the allegations, asserting that Wright's testimony was correct and that no termination decisions were based on political considerations. Wright has previously dismissed the charges of political retaliation as untrue.