Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Tuesday that his committee plans to investigate government loan programs to private corporations in light of allegations of improper dealings between the White House and failed energy company Solyndra and wireless start-up LightSquared. 
 
 "I want to see when the president and his cronies are picking winners and losers… it wasn't because there were large contributions given to them," the chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Tuesday morning on C-SPAN. 
 
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 Issa said the committee was looking at whether it was improper for members of Congress or White House staff to select companies eligible for subsidized government loans when those companies could give campaign donations. Loan programs have been a popular tool to provide funding for popular industries — like tech, green energy, and American auto companies — at more favorable terms than could be secured privately. 
 
 The Obama administration has been defending itself against criticism by Republicans that it exerted improper influence to the aid of both companies. 
 
 Solyndra abruptly filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, surprising both employees and the administration, which had secured $535 million in low-interest loans for the company. 
 
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 Republicans in Congress quickly mocked the bankruptcy as emblematic of the president's green technology initiatives under the stimulus bill — and noted that a key Solyndra investor had been a bundler for the Obama campaign. House Republicans say they have emails showing the White House pressuring Department of Energy bureaucrats to expedite the loan approvals, although the White House has argued that nothing improper occurred. 
 
 Republicans have also charged that the White House pressured an Air Force general to revise testimony before a closed congressional hearing to aid LightSquared, a wireless start-up company. Emails between the company and the White House make mention of the fact that the company's CEO would be attending Democratic fundraisers in Washington, and administration officials met with executives from the company on the same day that CEO Sanjiv Ahuja wrote a $30,400 check to the Democratic National Committee. 
 
 
 
 The company is facing a tough regulatory road after initial tests showed LightSquared's technology had been found to interfere with military and aviation GPS. But both the company and White House have denied any influence-peddling. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Although Issa did not specifically accuse the White House of wrongdoing, he suggested that government loan programs tempted corruption. 
 
 
 
 
 
 "This is another reason that crony capitalism … is dangerous, because they're going to pick winners that they ideologically, or in some cases because they support their candidacy, want to see win," Issa said. 
 
 The congressman said he also wanted to expand the investigation to see whether congressmen were also exerting influence on the bureaucracy, which is commonly tasked with approving low-interest government loans. 
 
 "We see that as a backdoor, easy way to end up with corruption in government," Issa said. ||||| Share this: 
 
 "Defending Decision Not To Investigate News Corp., Issa Contradicts Own Claim That He Knows Rupert Murdoch" Share: 
 
 House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) has refused repeated calls to investigate News Corporation over alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act tied to the British phone hacking scandal and allegations that the company hacked the phones of 9/11 victims’ families immediately after the tragedy. The investigations, Issa complains, would amount to “picking on [the] media.” 
 
 This morning, the host of C-SPAN’s Washington Journal asked Issa about the investigations and if his refusal to probe the company had anything to do with his personal trust in News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch — an issue first raised by ThinkProgress’ Lee Fang. When the host asked Issa if his relationship with Murdoch had anything to do with his refusal to investigate, Issa denied even knowing Murdoch: 
 
 HOST: I know you’ve been criticial of ThinkProgress.org that this is coming from, a liberal blog. But they do assert that this has something to do with you saying you trust News Corp. last year because you know Rupert Murdoch. Just want to have you respond to that part. ISSA: Well, first of all, I don’t believe I said that. I don’t know Rupert Murdoch. I believe I’ve met him on one occasion. … I don’t know Rupert Murdoch. I do not trust anybody. My job is not trust. 
 
 In February 2010, Fang interviewed Issa about a potential probe into a Saudi Arabian prince’s large ownership stake in News Corp. When Issa said he was concerned about companies with foreign owners that may have “a different agenda,” Fang asked if that applied to the Saudi prince. Issa suggested that he trusted Fox because “I know Rupert Murdoch“: 
 
 FANG: Well what do you think about Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, he’s one of the owners of Fox News. He owns the largest stake in News Corp. outside the Murdoch family. ISSA: Well, I know Rupert Murdoch so I would certainly say he signs onto Rupert’s agenda, not the other way around. 
 
 Watch today’s C-SPAN interview followed by the relevant portion of Fang’s 2010 interview with Issa: 
 
 News Corp.’s alleged violations of American law, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, are within the investigative jurisdiction of the House Oversight Committee, which is charged with investigating matters in the interest of the American people. But Issa said he isn’t going investigate the company because the Justice Department has already launched its own probe. ||||| House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) told C-SPAN's Washington Journal today that his committee is investigating the Obama administration over its ties to Solyndra, LightSquared, and other companies. 
 
 "I want to see when the president and his cronies are picking winners and losers… that it wasn't because there were large contributions given to them," he said. 
 
 The White House has drawn scrutiny for allegedly speeding up the review process for a $535 loan to Solyndra, which went bankrupt last month. LightSquared's wireless broadband technology has been found to interfere with military GPS and communications signals, claims, and some have accused the White House of pressuring an Air Force general not to testify to that effect. Both companies have strong ties to Obama donors. 
 
 "This is another reason that crony capitalism … is dangerous, because they're going to pick winners that they ideologically, or in some cases because they support their candidacy, want to see win," Issa said. 
 
 Issa's investigation was inevitable, as the head of the watchdog committee pledged to vigorously pursue inquiries into the Obama White House. 
 
 Watch Issa on C-SPAN below: 
 
 
 

– Darrell Issa has long promised to use his House oversight panel to investigate the Obama administration, and the White House has served up two hanging fastballs for him: Solyndra and LightSquared. The chair of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee told C-SPAN today that he intends to investigate the administration's ties to both, reports the Hill. "I want to see when the president and his cronies are picking winners and losers ... it wasn't because there were large contributions given to them." The White House is accused of speeding up loans to Solyndra, a green-tech company that went bankrupt last month. LightSquared is a wireless startup whose technology apparently interferes with military GPS, and an Air Force general says the White House pressured him to downplay that in testimony. The two companies have "strong ties" to Democratic donors, notes Business Insider. "This is another reason that crony capitalism … is dangerous, because they're going to pick winners that they ideologically, or in some cases because they support their candidacy, want to see win," said Issa. (On the crony front, ThinkProgress still wants to know why Issa won't go after Rupert Murdoch.)