Steven Chu | featured news

Republicans probing how a now-bankrupt solar panel company received a $535 million federal loan guarantee excoriated Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Thursday for his decisions on Solyndra at a hearing packed with media and spectators.

A former campaign adviser to President Obama warned in a prescient e-mail that Republican attacks "are surely coming over Solyndra and other inside DOE deals that have gone to Obama donors" and suggested firing Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Dan Carol, who advised Obama's 2008 campaign, wrote in a February e-mail that the administration turned over today to the House Energy and Commerce Committee that the White House "bring forward a new leadership team in one package: DOE Secretary, Undersecretary (open), EERE (open), Chief of Staff (open)."

Jonathan Silver, the executive director of the Energy Department's Loan Programs Office, stepped down from that position amid scrutiny from congressional Republicans over loans granted to the now-bankrupt energy firm Solyndra. Energy Secretary Steve Chu told the Post that the departure had been planned.