As the New York Times reported, Chao has repeatedly engaged in official actions calculated to boost her family’s shipping business and her husband’s political fortunes, up to, and including attempting to get the government pay for her representatives of her family’s business travel with her on an official visit to China. (also here)

Some Democrats want to look into this nexus of corruption, but others are afraid that Chao will cancel road projects in their districts in retaliation.

Seriously, this is akin to defending oneself against an accusation of witchcraft by threatening call upon her dark masters to turn the investigators into pious pink toads, (The Cerebus defense) and Chao doesn’t have to even allude to this, the congresscritters are terrified of her:

House Democrats are poised to launch an investigation into the Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao over allegations that she used her position to advance the interests of her family and her husband’s political career.

But even as some members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee say such a probe is inevitable, other Democratic lawmakers have expressed doubts about whether the current evidence is sufficient to warrant it, according to three lawmakers with direct knowledge of the conversations that have taken place over the last several days. And some lawmakers who spoke to The Daily Beast expressed unease—at this time—to call out the secretary for fear that doing so would affect their ability to advance infrastructure projects in their home districts.

Such hesitation reflects both the unique status Chao enjoys within the Trump administration—where she has heavy sway over federal funds that politicians of all stripes covet—and the wider conundrum that Democrats lawmakers face in going after the president’s team. With aggressive oversight efforts already launched into several other Trump Cabinet officials, senior Democratic aides say a sense of fatigue has set in among members, one that’s been exacerbated by the difficulty the party has had in making progress on already-launched investigative efforts.

I would argue that this calls for heightened scrutiny.

Given her position, secretary Chao must be as Caesar’s wife, above suspicion.