Elaine Chao used Transportation Department resources for personal use, watchdog finds

Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao used department resources to help her father and directed federal employees to perform personal tasks while serving under the Trump administration, an investigation from the Transportation Department's inspector general found.

In a report released Wednesday, the department's internal watchdog said it referred its investigation to the Justice Department and U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Columbia for criminal prosecution in December. Both declined to open criminal investigations on the matter. The inspector general also did not make a conclusion as to whether Chao violated ethics rules.