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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Allegedly Used Email Alias As Exxon CEO (arstechnica.com)
According to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Rex Tillerson used an email alias of "Wayne Tracker" to communicate with other Exxon executives about climate change while serving as CEO of Exxon Mobil. "New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has been leading an investigation of Exxon Mobil centered on whether the company misled investors by publicly arguing against the reality of climate change even though its executives knew the science was accurate," reports Ars Technica. "The investigation was triggered by news reports describing climate research the company undertook in the 1970s and 1980s, which affirmed the work of other climate scientists and showed that greenhouse gas emissions were causing climate change. Exxon buried that work and spent the next couple decades claiming that the science was unclear, although it has recently publicly acknowledged reality." From the report: The e-mails that were provided allowed the attorney general to figure out that Tillerson used the account between 2008 and 2015 at least, but it didn't appear on Exxon's list of accounts for which records were preserved. The letter also mentions 34 other e-mail accounts "specifically assigned to top executives, board members, or assistants" that the attorney general thinks should have been included. In a statement, an Exxon spokesperson explained, "The e-mail address, Wayne.Tracker@exxonmobil.com, is part of the company's e-mail system and was put in place for secure and expedited communications between select senior company officials and the former chairman for a broad range of business-related topics." The Office of the Attorney General's letter claims that "Exxon has continuously delayed and obstructed the production of documents from its top executives and board members, which are crucial to OAG's investigation into Exxon's touted risk-management practices regarding climate change."
Moron.... private company != Government
I can create all the email account I want for my company ... the Government has no constitutional power to complain.
The witch hunt to file some sort of criminal complaint because I dare to talk about climate change or deny climate change.. is simply that.
The problem isn't that he used a secret email address.
The problem is that he used that secret email address to hide communications.
Those communications were allegedly about a scheme to mislead the public (and investors) about the state of climate science.
Misleading investors with information you know to be false is a bad thing because it causes them to make investments based on your lies, if those emails show that Tillerson knew he was lying it could be a very bad thing.
I stole this Sig
Moron.... private company != Government
I can create all the email account I want for my company ... the Government has no constitutional power to complain.
The witch hunt to file some sort of criminal complaint because I dare to talk about climate change or deny climate change.. is simply that.
Except that Exxon Mobil is not a private company. Its stock is sold in various currencies on numerous exchanges around the world.
The executives of a publicly-traded company have a legal fiduciary responsibility to inform shareholders of potential risks to the company's profitability. Trying to bury their own evidence that their products contribute to climate change arguably is a violation of that responsibility. Hence the investigation by the AGs.
If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
Considering that it's likely fossil fuel companies have had positive knowledge of AGW for decades, and that eventually he twill lead to significant regulation both nationally and internationally, yes shareholders, and just as importantly potential shareholders have a right to know.
This would be like a gold mine selling futures while having buried reports showing water table contamination that could potentially depress share prices.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
So every company needs to officially warn their investors about global warming, rising tides, and ocean acidification?
If those things can materially affect the profitability of the company, then yes. And especially if the company knows that it is contributing to them, thus making itself vulnerable to legislative or liability consequences.
If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
Lying to Congress under oath is a crime...
Clinton
Clapper
Holder
Deleting 30000 emails subpoenaed by Congress in an investigation is a crime...
Clinton
"No reasonable prosecutor would file charges"