A senior House Democrat has asked the Transportation Department's internal watchdog to investigate whether Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao showed undue favoritism to Kentucky constituents of her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

On Friday, Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, the top Democrat on the House Transportation Committee, wrote DOT's inspector general asking him to probe any conflicts of interest Chao has. Specifically, DeFazio cited two POLITICO stories, one detailing Chao's disproportionate number of meetings with Kentucky officials during her first year in the position and another suggesting she had designated a member of her senior staff to serve as a point person for Kentucky issues, which the agency denies.


"I would expect Secretary Chao to meet with individuals from her home state more regularly than other states, but the sheer volume … is troubling,” Defazio said. “Even more troubling is the fact that Senator McConnell’s campaign touted the POLITICO article on social media.”