Overview
- Senator Maria Cantwell publicly accused FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford of violating his ethics agreement by not divesting Republic Airways holdings within the 90-day deadline.
- A December 8 letter from the Office of Government Ethics said Bedford had not complied and that his request to extend the divestiture timeframe did not meet the standard for an amendment.
- Cantwell asked whether Bedford will divest all airline shares and requested a full recusal list and related documents by December 16, while the FAA said Bedford will respond directly.
- At confirmation, Bedford reported Republic stock valued between $6 million and $30 million, and OGE said it has not been informed that he has divested.
- Republic completed a merger with Mesa Air Group on November 25, leaving Republic shareholders with about 88% of the combined company and the world’s largest Embraer E‑Jet fleet.