Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm just admitted to lying to Congress. 

According to E&E News, Granholm did so on Friday in a letter that she sent to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee - the same committee that she lied to, under oath.

The lie came during testimony that Granholm gave before the committee on April 20, 2023.

E&E News reports:

Granholm told the Energy and Natural Resources Committee at an April 20 budget hearing that she did not own any individual stocks, saying she was only invested in mutual funds. She also said she would “not object” to congressional legislation that would ban executive department officials from holding stocks.

It turns out that Granholm did own individual stocks.

In her letter to the committee, Granholm writes, "I mistakenly told the Committee that I did not own any individual stocks, whereas I should have said that I did not own any conflicting stocks."

Granholm said that as part of her confirmation process she "divested from assets that could be in conflict with my official duties." But, she revealed that she did "retain assets that were determined by Government ethics officials to not conflict with my official duties."

Now, Granholm says that she divested her remaining stock holdings in order to make her financial holdings consistent with her testimony.

Granholm did not reveal the companies that she owned stock in, but she did say that she will provide this information in her Annual Public Financial Disclosure Report, which will be filed in mid-June.

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), the ranking member of the committee, had this to say in response to Granholm's letter:

Secretary Granholm lied to the committee about her family’s stock holdings. This comes after her failure to follow basic ethics and disclosure rules. This is a troubling pattern. It is unacceptable.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Granholm's spokesperson said:

The Secretary takes the commitment to uphold the highest ethical standards very seriously, which is why, upon realizing a comment made in error, the Secretary moved quickly to divest non-conflicting assets along with an asset held by her spouse of which she was previously unaware. The letter submitted to Congress clarifying the record underscores the Secretary’s commitment to transparency and to leading a DOE that puts the interests of the American people above all else.

It is hard to believe, however, that this was an innocent mistake.

There is a big difference between not owning any individual stock at all - which is what Granholm originally claimed - and owning stock that is non-conflicting.