What struck me from last week's Oversight Committee hearing over "the Administration’s Bet on Abound Solar,” and its cost to the taxpayers, wasn’t the fact that Abound blamed China for its demise, a very misleading “jobs chart” used as Obama campaign propaganda, or the “from shovel ready to Shanghais” visual aide. It was Jonathan Silver, former DOE loan advisor, whom in 2010, became a “person of interest” –– along with at least a dozen other “DOE Insiders” –– in my “green corruption” research, of which I will be exposing in the very near future.
Jonathan Silver, Former Executive Director of the Loans Programs Office at the Department of Energy (DOE) 
Silver, who resigned in early October 2011, amidst the "Solyndra $535 Million Saga" (FBI raid and all) –– even testifying in September 2011–– was also one of the “stars” of the May 16, 2012 House Oversight Committee hearing. This was part of the BrightSource Energy story that Marita K. Noon and I wrote about a few weeks ago. Yet, we were not the only ones that picked up on the details surrounding the email exchange between the CEO of BrightSource John Woolard and Silver, during the time they were seeking final approval of their $1.6 billion DOE loan.
Woolard, on behalf of John Bryson (then-BrightSource chairman, who later became Obama’s Commerce Secretary) reached out to Silver, asking for “help” with a drafted email, which was intended for White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley. The email included other requests: “the need for a commitment” as well as “guidance and support” from the White House, however, according to testimony from Woolard, it was never submitted.
Well, I had wondered, did Silver ever help edit that email? Oh yes he did –– "modest edits" from his private email account, which was made known during Silver's testimony last Wednesday. We also discovered that Silver has known John Bryson for many years, and has visited the White House over 70 times. Those visits did include a couple (or a few?) meetings with Energy Secretary Chu and Mr. Daley. However, Silver informed the Committee that the discussions at the White House were "general" in nature, mainly about the "logistics" of the DOE loan program, and not specific to any deal.
Article comments
1 - Igor
I think there's a good expose' in here someplace but the article sprawls around too much for me to figure it out. But I shouldn't have to figure it out. I shouldn't have to work to prove your point.
2 - christine
Hmm Igor, I didn't mean to confuse you -- sorry. Maybe you can try the second part. Just posted a bit ago here on BC. "Recent Oversight Hearing Continued: Abound Solar Blames China for its Demise"
3 - Bob
Frantz is not a political appointee - he testified he is a civil servant in the SES. And Isakowitz was appointed during the Bush administration.
Please, please, please do basic fact checking before you write anything. Otherwise you call into question everything else you write.
4 - christine
Bob, that was a quote from Jordon, however, I didn't make a big deal out of him anyway. If I had, I would of clarified Jordon's statement. Like I did with the fact that Republican are connected to Abound Solar â€"â€" the other part of the testimony, (here on BC). And it really doesn't matter which president appointed them â€"â€" corruption abounds on both sides. There is a much bigger point I was making, but if you can't "trust" anything after that, it don't matter to me!
5 - Igor
Christine: IMO the article is too much of a broadside. Too much shotgun blast, not enough rifleshot. Very distracting.
I was at the marsh today and witnessed a frustrated Redtail hawk try to pick off a swallow from among the hundreds of Tree Swallows flying around, but he was so distracted by the flock that he couldn't isolate and pick an individual to attack.
Small fish do the same thing. It takes an intelligent animal like a whale or porpoise to herd the whole flock into a diminishing school that becomes disorganised and less distracting and more subject to attack.
Split up the scandals into several one page expose's so they're easier to read and digest.
6 - Christine
Thanks for the tip, Igor. The problem is; besides it being a massive scandal, these green folks are all interconnected in so many ways. But will heed your advice!
7 - Igor
Unfortunately, BC has a format that doesn't do massive scandals very well. We readers are much too superficial.
8 - christine
It's all good Igor....love BC!
9 - Igor
BC affords a lot of latitude, but we readers tend to have short attention spans.
10 - allan jackson
Solyndra The Prez is focused like laser
he only needs 500 Billion $$ Seems like the best action was bleepable Billions loan to Petrobas