Overview
- Ernst, who chairs the Senate Small Business Committee, asked the Justice Department on Monday to investigate possible concealment of federal records tied to Planned Parenthood’s Paycheck Protection Program loans.
- Committee documents show SBA emails from April 30, 2021 using the subject line "Benghazi (PPP/PPH) Decisions," including a note from then–General Counsel Peggy Hamilton to "decision Benghazi (Planned Parenthood)."
- The same threads state the "WH" should be informed as decisions were made, suggesting senior staff kept the White House apprised of how the agency would handle the loans and forgiveness questions.
- Ernst says about $90 million in PPP loans and interest to Planned Parenthood affiliates were later forgiven, even after the SBA in 2020 told affiliates they were ineligible and asked for repayment; reporting cites 34 loans ultimately forgiven.
- Using an unrelated code word can foil keyword searches under the Freedom of Information Act, which is why Ernst cites the Federal Records Act and 18 U.S.C. § 2071, while pro-life groups now press for repayment and new limits on funding; there is no public sign DOJ has opened a probe or that SBA has reversed the forgiveness.