Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, wants the Department of Justice to hire an outside lawyer to probe an Energy Department loan to bankrupt solar panel maker Solyndra.  More »

The Texan who chairs the House Judiciary Committee says he wants an independent investigator to look into a loan guarantee the Energy Department approved for the now-bankrupt California company Solyndra LLC. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder today seeking an outside lawyer to probe Solyndra’s bankruptcy case to determine “whether politics played a role in influencing the Obama administration to favor Solyndra over more financially stable loan applicants.”  More »