Energy Secretary Steven Chu denied there was any political interference in his decision to approve a $535 million loan guarantee for solar panel manufacturer Solyndra LLC, in testimony Nov. 17 before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee. Chu told the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee there was no pressure from the White House to approve the Solyndra loan as a favor to an Obama donor who invested in the company. He also denied any knowledge that Energy Department employees pressured Solyndra to postpone announcing a plant closure and employee layoffs until after the November 2010 midterm elections.
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