Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:48 pm
Bernie Sanders is calling for the Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into ExxonMobile after internal memos revealed the oil giant engaged in corporate fraud by denying climate change.
In a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Sanders called for a criminal probe into ExxonMobil:
Exxon Mobil knew the truth about fossil fuels and climate change and lied to protect their business model at the expense of the planet.
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These reports, if true, raise serious allegations of a misinformation campaign that may have caused public harm similar to the tobacco industry’s actions – conduct that led to federal racketeering convictions.
Based on available public information, it appears that Exxon knew its product was causing harm to the public, and spent millions of dollars to obfuscate the facts in the public discourse. The information that has come to light about Exxon’s past activities raises potentially serious concerns that should be investigated.
Sanders based his request for a federal criminal investigation on memos from Exxon scientists by Inside Climate News that revealed that the oil giant knew about climate change as far back as 1977.
There isn’t a special interest that Sen. Sanders is afraid to take on. Sanders is suggesting that Exxon’s misinformation campaign has caused harm to the public in the same way that the tobacco companies harmed the public by trying to hide the damage that their products caused from the public.
Bernie Sanders is putting the public interest first. Sanders is the rare political leader who doesn’t cater to special interests. Sanders is trying to level the playing field, which is why his campaign to lead a political revolution has attracted millions of supporters.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
