March 03, 2025

Warren Presses Defense Research & Engineering Nominee to Address Conflicts of Interest, Questions Incidents of Attacks on Journalists and Public Accountability

“By [addressing these conflicts], you would increase Americans’ trust in your ability to serve the public interest during your time at DoD — rather than your former technology companies seeking defense contracts.” 

Text of Letter (PDF) 

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Mr. Emil Michael, nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)), with concern over his history of inappropriate behavior at work, his attacks on journalists and public accountability, and his ties to technology companies that may seek contracts with the Department of Defense (DoD). 

As USD(R&E), Mr. Michael would become DoD’s Chief Technology Officer and would help the department select which defense technologies to advance. Mr. Michael’s resume includes senior executive roles at major technology companies, including Uber. He also leads DPCM Capital, Inc., which acquired D-Wave Systems, a quantum computing company eligible for DoD contracts. 

Mr. Michael's new role may position him to help secure military contracts for companies he’s tied to, such as D-Wave as it seeks a DoD contract to provide quantum computing services, or Uber as it seeks to provide ride services from military bases.      

“[These conflicts mean] the public will have reason to question whether your decision-making is biased toward benefiting your former employers, acquisitions, or investments rather than the public interest,” wrote Senator Warren. 

Mr. Michael also has a record of inappropriate behavior and attacks on the press. He departed his role as a former executive at Uber after a series of high-profile scandals, including taking employees to an escort-karaoke bar during a trip to Seoul and recommending silencing journalists who were critical of Uber by publicizing details about their personal lives. 

Senator Warren asked Mr. Michael to address his conflicts of interest and make the same ethics commitments that his predecessor, Heidi Shyu, and other former DoD officials, including former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have done. She urged Mr. Michael to recuse himself from all matters related to his former clients or employers for four years while at DoD and for four years after leaving DoD to not seek compensation from a company he oversees during his tenure at DoD. She also requested a commitment to not lobby DoD after leaving the department. 

Senator Warren requested that Mr. Michael provide answers about his troubling attacks on the press, his history of inappropriate behavior, and conflicts of interest by March 10, 2025. 

Senator Warren has been a leader on enforcing government ethics standards and pressing nominees to address conflicts of interest before their tenure in government: 

  • In February 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Mr. Stephen Feinberg, nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defense (DoD), pressing him to explain his “serious conflicts of interest” and his track record of mismanagement.
  • In February 2025, following reports that Elon Musk would take advantage of loopholes in federal ethics laws to avoid publicly disclosing his financial conflicts of interest, Senator Elizabeth Warren led several Democrats in a letter demanding Musk publicly reveal how he could stand to profit from his role in the Trump administration.
  • In February 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) called on Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to recuse himself from former clients’ and employers’ particular matters and commit to not lobbying HHS after his tenure as Secretary.
  • In February 2025, following the Senate Finance Committee vote to advance the nomination of Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Senator Elizabeth Warren gave remarks regarding the nominee’s continued conflicts of interest. 
  • In February 2025, Senators Warren and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member on the Senate Finance Committee, wrote to Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., pressing him to urgently resolve his serious conflicts of interest before the committee vote Wednesday morning.
  • In January 2025, following pressure from Senate Democrats, Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., agreed to amend his flawed ethics agreement (see Warren QFRs at the end of Part 2 and start of Part 3).
  • In January 2025, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, about his dangerous conflicts of interest and record of profiting from anti-vaccine conspiracies.
  • In January 2025, ahead of Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearing for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a 34-page letter detailing her concerns with his nomination and asked him to answer 175 questions ahead of his hearing before the Finance Committee.
  • In January 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Mr. Pete Hegseth, then-nominee for Secretary of the Department of Defense, regarding his ethics conflicts ahead of the Senate’s consideration of his nomination. Particularly concerning were the facts that Mr. Hegseth’s household owns stock in several defense contractors and that he was unwilling to commit to the same post-employment restrictions he previously advocated for.
  • In January 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Trump Transition Co-Chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon, urging them to make the White House’s ethics pledge for incoming appointees as strong as possible and outlining specific provisions to do so. The letter came at the end of the first week of confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump’s cabinet nominees, many of whom have been found to have serious conflicts of interest and massive wealth.
  • In December 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to President-elect Trump with concerns about Elon Musk’s conflicts of interest as he served as a top advisor for the incoming president.
  • In November 2024, in response to the news that President-elect Donald Trump selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Senator Elizabeth Warren released a statement calling him a “danger to public health, scientific research, medicine, and health care coverage for millions of Americans.”
  • In March 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured ethics commitments from Douglas Schmidt, ahead of his confirmation to be the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) for the Department of Defense.
  • In February 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured unprecedented ethics commitments from former Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, President Biden's nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), including his recusal from participating in the OECD’s decision making processes regarding crypto and digital assets policy. 
  • In January 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jayapal sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, expressing concerns about the Department of Commerce’s reliance on a small team of Wall Street financiers to help allocate $39 billion in CHIPS and Science Act taxpayer-funded manufacturing and R&D subsidies.
  • In June 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren and representative Andy Kim reintroduced her Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act.
  • In April 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren chaired a hearing with Pentagon officials and ethics experts about problems with the revolving door, retired military officers working for foreign governments, and issues with executive branch officials owning stocks in companies impacted by their official actions.
  • In May 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured a commitment from then-Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision nominee Michael Barr not to seek employment or compensation – including as a result of board service – from any company that has a party matter before the Fed, or any financial services company, for four years after he leaves government service.
  • In February 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured the strongest ethics standards ever agreed to by Federal Reserve Board nominees from Lisa Cook, Phillip Jefferson, and Sarah Bloom Raskin. The nominees agreed to a four-year recusal period from matters which they oversee on the Board of Governors, not to seek a waiver from these recusals, and not to seek employment or compensation from financial services companies for four years after leaving government service.
  • In January 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured a commitment from then-FDA Commissioner nominee Dr. Robert Califf to recuse himself from matters involving his former employers and clients for four years, two years longer than what was required in the Biden administration’s Ethics Pledge. He also agreed not to seek employment with or compensation, including as a result of board service, from any pharmaceutical or medical device company that he interacts with during his tenure as FDA Commissioner for four years after completing his government service. 
  • In July 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured agreements to four-year recusals from former clients’ and employers’ party matters from then-Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and then-USD(R&E) Heidi Shyu.
  • In January 2021, Senator Elizabeth Warren secured a commitment from General Lloyd Austin III, then-nominee for Secretary of Defense, to extend his recusal from Raytheon Technologies for four years and to not seek a position on the board of a defense contractor or become a lobbyist after his government service.
  • In December 2020, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jayapal introduced the Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act, the most ambitious anti-corruption legislation since Watergate, which would outlaw corrupt revolving-door schemes so that public servants are serving the public – not the financial interests of themselves or giant corporations.
  • In March 2020, President Trump signed the bipartisan Presidential Transition Enhancement Act into law, which included major provisions of Sen. Warren’s (D-Mass.) Transition Team Ethics Improvement Act.
  • In September 2019, the Senate passed a key provision of the Transition Team Ethics Improvement Act introduced by Senators Warren and Tom Carper (D-Del.) to enhance the ethics requirements that govern presidential transitions.
  • In November 2016, as President Trump prepared to take office, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Chairman Cummings requested a GAO investigation of the chaotic Trump transition. In September 2017, Government Accountability Office (GAO) released the results of the investigation, finding that the Trump transition team ignored advice from the Office of Government Ethics and failed to follow past precedents regarding ethics and presidential transitions.

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