CULTURE OF CORRUPTION: Energy Secretary Granholm Violates Ethics Pledge To Boost Proterra, Watchdog Claims. “Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm committed a “flagrant” violation of ethics rules by using her official position to promote products of her former employer, electric bus manufacturer Proterra. . . . Government watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust notified the Department of Energy’s inspector general on Friday of its concerns regarding a Nov. 1 event in which Granholm appeared at an official administration event with Proterra buses prominently displayed behind her. Granholm’s participation in the event, where more than $100 million worth of government grants were announced to support electric vehicle manufacturers, was a ‘conscious, flagrant affront to her ethics obligations,’ the watchdog wrote.”