White House circulated plan to replace DOE Secretary Chu (the plan was "not taken very seriously")

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.oakridger.com/newsnow/x1439491123/White-House-circulated-plan-to-replace-DOE-Secretary-Chu

White House circulated plan to replace DOE Secretary Chu

By Matthew Daly and Dina Cappiello
Associated Press
Posted Nov 13, 2011 @ 02:54 PM

WASHINGTON —

Top officials at the White House circulated a plan calling for the ouster of Energy Secretary Steven Chu and other top Energy Department officials as the administration braced for a political storm brewing over the failing solar energy company Solyndra.

An email from a clean-energy activist and former official in President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign said Chu, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, was a brilliant man but "not perfect" for other critical DOE missions, including creating jobs. The Feb. 25 email from Dan Carol, a former issues adviser in Obama's campaign, was circulated by then-Chief of Staff Peter Rouse and seen by at least 18 White House officials, including senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and then-energy adviser Carol Browner.

The emails were released late Friday by the government in response to a subpoena by House Republicans, who are investigating a $528 million federal loan received by Solyndra Inc. of Fremont, Calif. The firm later went bankrupt and laid off its 1,100 workers.

A White House spokesman said Friday the plan to oust Chu was not taken very seriously.

…

[TheWraith]

1. These headlines make it sound like the White House came up with the idea.

When in actuality they just looked at a suggestion from a former campaign member, and decided they didn't agree.