UPDATE: This piece has been updated to include a statement from Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office.
Democratic Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo appeared to question the intelligence of Biden’s Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm Thursday after she gave a speech about electric car batteries.
Granholm announced a $2 billion Energy Department loan to Redwood Materials, a Nevada-based battery recycling company, to produce electric car batteries Thursday and discussed some of the technical components of batteries in her speech, according to Politico. Lombardo then appeared to suggest that Granholm didn’t actually understand the science but had simply memorized her speech.
“She gave me a good science lesson,” Lombardo said into a microphone. “Do you actually understand that science, or did you just memorize that?”
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Lombardo smiled as if to indicate he had been joking, but the audience was completely silent. Granholm shared a sarcastic response on Twitter Thursday afternoon.
“Big words can be intimidating, I understand,” she wrote. “All the Governor needs to know is that $2 BILLION and thousands of good-paying jobs are coming to Nevada thanks to @POTUS.”
Big words can be intimidating, I understand. All the Governor needs to know is that $2 BILLION and thousands of good-paying jobs are coming to Nevada thanks to @POTUS. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/ykUn3DR11m
— Secretary Jennifer Granholm (@SecGranholm) February 9, 2023
Granholm, a Harvard Law School graduate, was sworn in as Energy Secretary in February 2021. She previously served two terms as governor of Michigan before accepting a professorship at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught public policy courses focused on law, clean energy, manufacturing, policy and industry, according to the Department of Energy.
“People who know Joe Lombardo are familiar with his self-deprecating sense of humor. Of course, it was a joke. And one at his own expense. Regardless, the Governor remains focused on welcoming new investment in Nevada and keeping our state open for business,” Elizabeth Ray, communications director for Governor Lombardo, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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