Republican senators presented a united front of support for automobile dealership magnate Lee Beaman’s nomination to the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors this week in a committee hearing on Capitol Hill.

West Virginia Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Capito presided over the first formal step in vetting Beaman, who received glowing in-person endorsements from both of Tennessee's senators. Beaman is a Trump megadonor who accumulated massive wealth through his since-closed Midtown car dealership, and his TVA position has the optics, critics contend, of a political favor in response to Beaman’s years of financial and vocal support.

During Wednesday's hourlong hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Beaman acknowledged various financial and personal c

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