Three Democratic senators have formally requested a federal oversight body review whether the head of the Federal Aviation Administration adhered to the terms of an ethics settlement governing his stock ownership in Republic Airways.
In a letter sent Thursday, Senators Maria Cantwell, Tammy Duckworth and Ed Markey raised concerns about whether FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford complied with a requirement to divest his Republic equity by October 7, the deadline set out in his ethics agreement. The senators asked the watchdog to determine if Bedford misled Congress in his explanation for not completing the divestiture by that date.
The lawmakers contend that Bedford retained his Republic shares until the airline finalized a merger, a step the senators said likely increased the value of his holdings. Republic completed a merger with Mesa Air Group on November 25. According to the senators, Bedford did not finish selling his stake until February.
When he was confirmed to lead the FAA, Bedford disclosed his ownership of Republic stock with an estimated value in the range of $6 million to $30 million. The senators’ request asks the watchdog to examine both the timing of the sale and the accuracy of Bedford's testimony to Congress about the reasons for the delay.
The FAA told the senators it would provide a direct response to their inquiry. Beyond that statement, there was no additional comment included in the correspondence referenced by the senators.
The senators' action asks the federal watchdog to evaluate whether the sequence of events around the merger and the subsequent divestiture complied with the written ethics agreement and whether Bedford's communications to Congress accurately reflected his actions and motivations.
Context and timeline provided in the senators' request
- Ethics agreement deadline for divestiture: October 7.
- Republic and Mesa Air Group completed their merger: November 25.
- Administrator completed divestiture of Republic stock: February.
- Value of Republic stock reported at confirmation: between $6 million and $30 million.