Recently several U.S. Senators wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding an investigation of BP.
Below is his reply (tongue in cheek)(satire).
Senator Barbara Boxer
Senator Ben Cardin
Senator Frank Lautenberg
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Senator Bernie Sanders
Senator Amy Klobuchar
Senator Tom Carper
Senator Jeff Merkley
May 18, 2010
Dear Senators:
Thank you for your recent letter concerning a possible inquiry into whether British Petroleum made misleading and perhaps fraudulent statements relating to its off shore drilling policies.
As you know, the President of the United States has himself spoken repeatedly of the need to “look forward, not backwards” with regards to potentially criminal actions. In that spirit, it would be unwise to consider possibly fraudulent acts or statements made in the past when there may be a good possibility of rehabilitating this important multinational corporation so that it will do good in the future.
Moreover, BP is an important and vital cog in the international economic system. You Senators should know better than anyone that not only our country but the entire world has been struggling through dire times for the past two years. “Piling on” to BP at this time might just put them under and this in turn could have a domino effect upon the whole oil industry and on industrial production. This worst case scenario could lead to economic catastrophe and perhaps more important for you, loss of your jobs to an angry electorate.
Finally, all of you Senators know of the importance of campaign contributions in our political system. You all know how expensive it is to get elected to positions as lofty as yours in any state now. You should know expecially Barbara, right, with the high costs in California? BP realizes this too and has been willing to extend its good corporate hand, and open its good corporate wallet to the President and this administration. In 2008, BP gave the Obama campaign more money than any candidate ever, something that we are all very proud of!
I know it is easy to say investigate and to call for prosecutions of supposedly dubious activities but this kind of call for legal action will just further inflame the volatile political atmosphere we have in this country. Some Republicans, even a single one, might object to this proposed course of action and then all hell would break out. This administration is committed to reaching out to its opponents, not slapping them in jail at the first signs of criminal wrongdoing.
We have long ago, in bipartisan fashion since the Reagan days, put our major corporations on an honor system whereby they police themselves and interpret federal rules and regulations in their best interest (under the supervision of agencies such as those in the Interior Ministry, of course). The business of America has always been business. Are we ready to plunge into the uncharted waters of actually holding corporations, who our own Supreme Court now views on the same basis as citizens, accountable for their antisocial and criminal actions?
In light of the above, I request you review your actions and come to your collective political senses as Senators. After all, everyone knows that justice and oil don’t mix well.
Respectfully yours,
Eric Holder
Attorney General of the United States
Your second paragraph really gad me going. Nice try
Thanks Torpid Bunny.
I was censored over this same “letter” over at Firedoglake and booted out for it!
Here’s the thing: what you wrote is not materially different from what oil industry lap-dog Mary Landrieu is telling anyone who will listen.
In essence, the oil industry, which, in her view, magically consist of small businesses, is more important than a paltry little thing like the environment which our species depends on for its continued existence.
I suggest we rename this the BP-Mary Landrieu spill.
Torpid Bunny,
Thanks for your comment.
I doubt that Mary Landrieu is criticizing Obama for his “look forwards not backwards statement”, as I am. I also doubt that Mary Landrieu is criticizing Obama and Democrats for accepting huge campaign contributions from BP and then treating them with kid’s gloves, as I am. Nor is Landrieu to my knowledge criticizing the work of Ken Salazar for essentially granting waivers to repeat offenders like BP for environmental impact statements, as I am. Nor is Landrieu criticizing, as I am, the often hypocritical actions of Senators who need major contributions from companies like BP to run their campaigns.
Nor am I saying that the oil industry consists of small businesses as you say Landrieu is: on the contrary, it consists of huge multinationals with major lobbying power in both parties in Congress.
Hey, other than that, I guess you’re right and I’m saying materially the same thing as Mary Landrieu.
But I’m not blaming this mess on Mary Landrieu as you have. She’s not the one who chose Ken Salazar to head Interior over the objections of environmentalists. Obama did that. She’s not the one who changed the 27 year ban on offshore drilling. Obama did that. She’s not the one who on April 2, 2010 said that oil rigs are basically safe nowadays and that spills come from refineries and not oil rigs. Obama said that.