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Jim McElhatton

Jim McElhatton no longer works for The Washington Times.

Articles by Jim McElhatton

A recently disclosed 2008 letter from Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho to the Department of Agriculture supported a loan-guarantee application for Open Range Communications, which the letter said would make it possible for millions of rural Americans to gain access to wireless Internet. The company, which won a $267 million loan guarantee, has filed for bankruptcy. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

Bankrupt wireless firm got loan push from taxpayer ‘superhero’

Hailed as a "superhero" by taxpayer watchdogs, Republican Sen. Mike Crapo quietly petitioned the George W. Bush administration to award a massive loan guarantee to a wireless company that just went bankrupt, owing U.S. taxpayers more than $70 million. Published November 16, 2011

**FILE** Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

Postal Service reports $5.1B loss

The U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday reported a $5.1 billion annual loss, but the figure would have been more than twice as high if Congress had not postponed a $5.5 billion bill to fund retiree health benefits. Published November 15, 2011

**FILE** An auction sign is shown outside the Fremont, Calif., headquarters for bankrupt solar company Solyndra headquarters on Oct. 31, 2011, before the auction on the following day. Solyndra received a $500 million loan guarantee from the government before filing for bankruptcy in September. (Associated Press)

Solyndra put off word of layoffs until after election

The Department of Energy pushed "very hard" for failed solar panel maker Solyndra LLC to delay announcing layoffs until after the Nov. 2, 2010, midterm elections, contradicting claims that politics played no role in the administration's handling of the now-bankrupt company. Published November 15, 2011

Rep. Fred Upton, Michigan Republican and chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. (Associated Press)

Bankrupt firm seeks OK to hire lobbyists despite debt

On the same week a congressional panel launched a probe into bankrupt wireless provider Open Range Communications — which has laid off most of its workforce and owes taxpayers more than $70 million — the company decided it needs more Washington lobbyists. Published November 13, 2011

Emails: White House, Biden’s office ‘orgasmic’ over Solyndra deal

New developments in the congressional probe into failed solar panel maker Solyndra LLC shed light on what Republicans are calling the close relationship between the White House and an Oklahoma billionaire donor whose foundation was deeply invested in the company. Published November 9, 2011

Former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has headed MF Global Holdings Ltd. since early last year. (Associated Press)

Executive’s future with EPA uncertain

As chairman of the Environmental Protection Agency's financial advisory board, Bradley Abelow is charged with giving advice on investment and job creation to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. Published November 8, 2011

Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe, in an interview Thursday with The Washington Times, said of working for the U.S. Postal Service: “It's still, in my opinion, for a blue-collar job, if you're a letter carrier or a clerk, the best job in America.” (J.M. Eddins Jr./The Washington Times)

USPS far from dead letter, its chief says

Despite the U.S. Postal Service's string of multibillion-dollar deficits and plans to shed more than 100,000 jobs, people are still lining up for a chance to work at the nation's mail service. Published November 3, 2011

Metro property found in home of employee

Nine laptop computers, a power generator, a DVD player, a BlackBerry wireless device, a color printer, a digital camera, lots of tools and a computer monitor used for watching movies were among dozens of items of Metro property found inside the home of a longtime transit worker. Published November 2, 2011

President Obama speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Lawmaker says Obama should return book profits

A Republican congressman is calling on President Obama to return royalties he received from the State Department's purchase of at least $70,000 in books authored by Mr. Obama since he took office. Published November 1, 2011

Bankrupt firm, owing U.S., retains lobbyist

Less than three years after closing on a big federal loan deal, Open Range Communications has laid off most of its employees, stopped accepting new customers and filed for bankruptcy - owing the federal government more than $70 million. Published November 1, 2011

**FILE** The empty parking lot of bankrupt solar energy company Solyndra is seen in Fremont, Calif., on Sept. 16, 2011. (Associated Press)

Solyndra inquirers call for testimony of lawyers

If there is one fact that government witnesses testifying before Congress on the failed half-billion-dollar loans to bankrupt Solyndra LLC have made clear, it is that they have not passed the bar exam. Published October 27, 2011

Democrats seek expansion of probe on bankrupt firm

House Democrats are calling for the expansion of a congressional investigation into bankrupt solar-panel maker Solyndra LLC, targeting a wireless business that recently went broke and was awarded more than $250 million in loan guarantees in the waning months of the Bush administration. Published October 26, 2011

President Obama walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011, as he returns from a three-day trip to Nevada, California and Colorado. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

State Department defends buying Obama’s books

The State Department on Wednesday defended spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on books authored by President Obama, while White House spokesman Jay Carney called the book-buying an "embassy-based decision." Published October 26, 2011

State Dept. spends $70K on Obama books

The U.S. Department of State has bought more than $70,000 worth of books authored by President Obama, sending out copies as Christmas gratuities and stocking "key libraries" around the world with "Dreams From My Father" more than a decade after its release. Published October 25, 2011

Bryson

Obama pick owed millions from Disney, Boeing board posts

President Obama's pick for commerce secretary, John E. Bryson, has earned millions of dollars in stock and compensation through his position as a director at the Walt Disney Co., a company that directly lobbies the department that Mr. Bryson now is poised to take over. Published October 20, 2011

Chief Financial Officer W.G. Stover from the bankrupt solar energy company Solyndra refuses to answer questions as he appears before the House Energy Commitee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on Sept. 23 2011. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Solyndra beats back federal takeover, but not Justice concerns

Solar-panel maker Solyndra LLC defeated a proposed government takeover bid, but the attempt underscored the depth of concerns in recent weeks at the Justice Department about the roles played by the bankrupt company's top financial officer and its board of directors. Published October 19, 2011

**FILE** Solyndra CEO Brian Harrison invokes his Fifth Amendment right as he appears before the House Oversight and Investigations subcommittee on Capitol Hill on Sept. 23, 2011. The panel is examining Solyndra's government loan. (Associated Press)

Judge denies government bid for Solyndra trustee

Customer contracts figure prominently in the FBI's criminal investigation of solar panel maker Solyndra LLC, which went bankrupt despite receipt of more than a half-billion dollars in federal loans, according to testimony on Monday. Published October 17, 2011