Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday deflected questions about his role in a loan guarantee for Solyndra, a green energy company that ultimately went bankrupt.
“It’s simple, you just talk to the White House counsel," the former White House Chief of Staff said during an appearance on WLS-AM. "They are answering all the questions and they will answer any questions you have on the matter."
Those questions come in response to a House Energy and Commerce Committee report, released Thursday, that shows Emanuel was a driving force behind the deal.
Included in the report is information -- previously reported -- contained in an Aug. 19, 2009 email sent from Aditya Kumar, the Deputy Assistant to Vice President Joe Biden and a senior advisor to Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, to Jacob Levine with the Office of Energy and Climate Change:
"Ron [Klain] wants to have this move through the process and NOT be in a ‘holding pattern.’ He has talked to Rahm about this, and feels like Rahm wants this too (barring any concerns) -- POTUS involvement was Rahm’s idea."
Last September, Emanuel denied any knowledge of the Solyndra loan.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and House Republicans have been critical of the Obama Administration deal.
Emanuel has said he's not concerned about the matter.
At a west side event outlining the expansion and overhaul of Early Childhood Education programs, Emanuel touted his progress locally in job creation, the housing market and education when asked about Solyndra.
"I'll leave Solyndra to you. I'm going to focus on the children of the city of Chicago," he said before walking away from the podium.
Solyndra was given more than $500 million in taxpayer dollars. It filed for bankruptcy in September 2011.
