WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama’s choice to be the No. 2 official at the Homeland Security Department is under investigation for his role in helping a company run by a brother of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Associated Press has learned.
Alejandro Mayorkas, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is being investigated for his role in helping the company secure an international investor visa for a Chinese executive, according to congressional officials briefed on the investigation. The officials spoke only on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details of the investigation.
Mayorkas was named by the Homeland Security’s inspector general’s office as a target in an investigation involving the foreign-investor program run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to an email sent to lawmakers late Monday. The inspector general’s office said, “At this point in our investigation, we do not have any findings of criminal misconduct.” The email did not specify any criminal allegations it might be investigating.
The email to lawmakers said the primary complaint against Mayorkas was that he helped a financing company run by Anthony Rodham, a brother of Hillary Clinton, to win approval for an investor visa, even after the application was denied and an appeal was rejected.
White House press secretary Jay Carney referred questions to the inspector general’s office, which said that the probe is in its preliminary stage and that it doesn’t comment on the specifics of investigations.
The investigation does not appear to have any direct ties to Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state. The former first lady and New York senator, who is considered a possible contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, has recently been maintaining a lower profile of private speeches and work on a new book.
Mayorkas, a former U.S. attorney in California, previously came under criticism for his involvement in the commutation by President Bill Clinton of the prison sentence of a Democratic Party donor’s son. Another of Hillary Clinton’s brothers, Hugh Rodham, had been hired by the donor to lobby for the commutation. Mayorkas told lawmakers during his 2009 confirmation hearing that “it was a mistake” to talk to the White House about the request.
Hillary Clinton stepped down as secretary of state on Feb. 1 of this year.
The government program involved in the investigation, known as EB-5, allows foreigners to get visas if they invest $500,000 to $1 million in projects or businesses that create jobs for U.S. citizens. The amount of the investment required depends on the type of project. Investors who are approved for the program can become legal permanent residents after two years and can later be eligible to become citizens.
If Mayorkas were confirmed as Homeland Security’s deputy secretary, he probably would run the department until a permanent replacement was approved to take over for departing Secretary Janet Napolitano.
Information for this article was contributed by Stephen Braun, Nedra Pickler and Ken Thomas of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 3 on 07/24/2013