SOLYNDRA:

New Republican Web ad hits Obama for link to investor

Greenwire:

The Republican National Committee launched a new Web ad last night blasting the White House for its relationship with Democratic fundraiser George Kaiser in the wake of new emails detailing Kaiser's involvement in securing the Solyndra loan guarantee.

The one-minute video, "What else is the White House hiding?" posted on the RNC's YouTube channel, capitalizes on news coverage of emails released yesterday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is investigating the bankrupt solar energy company that received half-a-billion dollars in loan guarantees from the Department of Energy.

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Solyndra, a solar manufacturer that was given a $535 million loan guarantee and touted by the White House as a model for the clean energy economy, has filed for bankruptcy. E&E examines how it got there and what it means. Click here to read the report.

The video contrasts clips of White House spokesman Jay Carney denying White House involvement in the loan -- the Obama administration has repeatedly said decisions regarding the loan were made by career DOE staffers and denied political influence played a role in its decision -- and news reports on the newly disclosed emails set to dramatic music.

"There's no evidence the White House was involved in the loan because they weren't," Carney said in one clip from a September news conference.

Although Kaiser has been a frequent visitor to the White House since Obama's election, statements issued by his foundation have denied his participation in discussions about the half-billion-dollar DOE loan to Solyndra.

But Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said the handful of emails released yesterday, written by Kaiser and associates at his venture capital firm and private foundation, contradict those earlier statements.

An RNC spokeswoman said the video appears only on the Internet.