Guest essay by Chris Horner
Emails obtained by the Energy & Environment Legal Institute (E&E Legal) show that the offices of New York Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and those of other politically aligned AGs, secretly teamed up with anti-fossil fuel activists to launch investigations against groups whose political speech challenged the global warming policy agenda.
These emails, obtained under open records laws, shed light on what followed after a January meeting, reported by the Wall Street Journal on April 14, in which groups funded by anti-fossil fuel Rockefeller interests met to urge just this sort of investigation and litigation against political opponents.
Recently, after the think tank the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) criticized the AGs’ intimidation campaign, U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Claude Earl Walker — one of the AGs working with Schneiderman — subpoenaed ten years of the non-profit organization’s records relating to climate change.
The latest email release strongly suggests a financial incentive for AGs to pursue their political opponents, rather than merely silencing and scaring away support for those who dare disagree with their extreme global warming agenda.
The e-mail correspondence between Schneiderman’s staff, the offices of several state attorneys general, and various activists covers the weeks leading up to a March 29 “publicity stunt” press conference with former Vice President Al Gore, to announce the targeting of opponents of the global warming agenda.
The correspondence shows government officials actively trying to hide their coordination, by using a “Common Interest Agreement.” This sought to protect as privileged the discussions about defending President Obama’s controversial global warming rules, and going after political opponents using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
Most intriguingly, this sought to hide discussions among the AGs, “their staff and certain outside advisors”. These communications and coordination included:
- Lem Srolovic, chief of the New York Attorney General’s Environmental Protection Bureau
- Scot Kline, a Vermont assistant attorney general
- Matt Pawa, an environmental lawyer who works with the Climate Accountability Institute and the Global Warming Legal Action Project of the Civil Society Institute
- Peter Frumhoff, director of science and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists
Pawa and Frumhoff have been pushing for this investigation for years, at least since a 2012 workshop entitled “Establishing Accountability for Climate Change Denial,” a brainstorming session in California for activists on ways to convince state attorneys general to investigate “deniers” using RICO laws.
As the Vermont and New York correspondence show, Pawa and Frumhoff were invited to secretly brief the state attorneys general. They each received 45 minutes to provide arguments on “climate change litigation” and “the imperative of taking action now” immediately prior to the AGs’ press conference, according to schedules prepared by Schneiderman’s office.
The next day, March 30, Pawa wrote to Eric Srolovic of Schneiderman’s office and Vermont’s Scott Kline seeking help. A Wall Street Journal reporter wanted to talk to Pawa, and he asked the two officials:
“What should I say if she asks if I attended?”
Srolovic replied:
“My ask is if you speak to the reporter, to not confirm that you attended or otherwise discuss the event.”
The documents obtained by E&E Legal also include responses to a questionnaire sent to the state attorneys general by Schneiderman’s office. U.S. Virgin Islands AG Walker reveals his interest, having just completed an $800 million settlement from Hess Oil company, in “identifying other potential litigation targets” and ways to “increase our leverage.” The Hess money, Walker wrote, was used to create an “environmental response trust”.
Other AGs across the country have criticized these investigations. West Virginia AG Patrick Morrisey has said,
“You cannot use the power of the office of the Attorney General to silence your critics.”
Oklahoma AG Scott Pruitt and Alabama AG Luther Strange issued a joint press release stating,
“It is inappropriate for State Attorneys General to use the power of their office to attempt to silence core political speech on one of the major policy debates of our time.”
AG Jeff Landry of Louisiana said,
“It is one thing to use the legal system to pursue public policy outcomes; but it is quite another to use prosecutorial weapons to intimidate critics, silence free speech, or chill the robust exchange of ideas.”
In the end, it seems the only parties that may be breaking the law are those colluding AGs in their scheme to silence political opposition, while seeking funds for their preferred policy agenda. It is they who need to come clean.
Chris Horner is an attorney in Washington, D.C. who obtained the email records for the Energy & Environment Legal Institute. He is also a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Give’em Hell
Welcome to USASSR?
There isn’t a free country anywhere in the world. Switzerland probably comes closest. When I was young, I used to think I lived in a free country (England), and it does make me smile when I hear Americans speaking of living in a free country. Evidently not paying attention to what’s going on around them. The politics of fear is used by most countries, and collusion is going on all around us – to the detriment of the people. What saddens me most of all is what is happening at this very moment in Germany, to a comedian. Dark days indeed.
bazzer1959: America was more or less a free country—you’re right about no “free countries anywhere”, of course—but yes, Americans keep ignoring what was going on. They became all about handouts and what the government could do for them. Now, they’re angry at what happened, but it was entirely their own fault.
Sata(n?) Baby – U$$A is simpler, and distinguishes it from EUSSR.
An Attorney-General complicit in global warming fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud is also found in of all places New Zealand.
https://turiteadocuments.wordpress.com/turitea-wind-farm-documents/
Paul commented: “….https://turiteadocuments.wordpress.com/turitea-wind-farm-documents/….”
A foreshadowing of what will happen in the rest of the world unless people wake up. These people have no respect for anyone or anything other than their ideology. Socialism on the march and getting more bold as the populace fails to speak up for the victims until they become victims themselves. It starts with lies and promises that never materialize and complaints are totally ignored. Ignored. And they are allowed to get away with it. When will the “silent skeptic majority” that is spelled out in all the polls make their stand?
Thanks Markl, you certainly appreciate the seriousness of the Turitea wind farm fraud.
Will Karen Price (recently married to David Cunliffe, aspiring Prime Minister)， Shonagh Kenderdine the fake judge, Attorney-General Chris Finlayson, Nick Smith, Judith Collins, and Helen Clark (now after Ban Ki Moon’s UN job) not to mention a slew of other green troughers ever be held to account?
One can only hope so.
What we witness is Cultural Marxists and Hippies making “a better World”?
We clearly should have forseen the danger in the exemptions to the draft for Vietnam, effectively turning our institutions of higher learning into the collegiate equivalent of Sanctuary Cities for draft evading hippies, black radicals & domestic terrorists a-la the Weather Underground and transforming the fringe elements of the far-left into the future leaders of America.
“We clearly should have forseen the danger in the exemptions to the draft for Vietnam, effectively turning our institutions of higher learning into the collegiate equivalent of Sanctuary Cities…”
What you mean “we” white man?
Vietnam was not something anyone could call a just war, it was a meat grinder for unwanted children. Late term abortion Democrat style. It’s difficult for anyone to blame other than Lyndon Johnson and his Texan oil cronies I’m not sure who that might be?
I’m fairly sure this RICO thing has a deep history and many bodies rotting in the closet. Today’s leftovers are the disgusting progeny of a cult born from post WWII entitlements inherited by people like Johnson. This is hardly a plan laid down by “the people” of the US.
I wrote:
“It’s difficult for anyone to blame other than Lyndon Johnson and his Texan oil cronies I’m not sure who that might be?”
Of course this is a pure example of someone with repressed anger attempting to write coherently on a subject he finds deeply disturbing.
What I meant to write was; it’s difficult to blame anyone other than Lyndon Johnson and his Texan oil cronies. If it was someone else, who might that be?
Hmmmm, sounds like a RICO crime ! How ironic..
And I can see Gorbatchov laughing. Clutural Marxism killed the Western World?
As I predicted to a few of my pals, names would appear in this latest RICO twist who are really the “usual suspects”. In the initial story where the WSJ spoke of a leaked email printout, we saw the names of the lawyer Matt Pawa, along with John Passacantando and Kert Davies, the latter of which I detailed right here at WUWT last year ( https://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/02/26/the-origin-of-climate-smear/ ), while I’ve covered Passacantando on several occasions at my GelbspanFiles blog ( http://gelbspanfiles.com/?tag=john-passacantando ). Regarding Pawa, I first covered his connections to the core clique of enviro smear merchants back in 2010 in a Breitbart article ( http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2010/11/27/global-warming-nuisance-lawsuits-are-based-on-a-fatal-flaw/ , shortened a bit here http://gelbspanfiles.com/?p=2512 ).
The desperation of these groups to silence all dissent is clear illustration of how much money they are making of this scam. CAGW is the single biggest fraud ever perpetrated.
It’s the same old scam, but the scale is unprecedented. Alarmist “scientists” enjoy all the perks and false authority of pre-scientific shamans. The easily frightened masses always seek comfort from hucksters peddling certainty and easy answers.
“CAGW is the single biggest fraud ever perpetrated.”
I’m pretty certain that prize goes to the “financial crisis”, which was the largest daylight robbery ever committed in the history of history.
Has McCarthy risen from the dead in the body of Gore??
No, McCarthy was correct in that FDR did have Russian (Communist) spies working at high levels in his administration. Gore is not right about anything having to do with CAGW.
69% convictions of those accused of communist spying.
When the archives were opened, McCarthy was right. However, there were (and still are) more Collectivists that even McCarthy suspected.
“there were (and still are) more Collectivists that even McCarthy suspected.”
Al Gore being one of them.
After spinning of this by the Leftist Maintream Media, the general public will find it is OK for government authorities to “consult” with green groups. They are doing this for the common good. Everybody knows The Science Is Settled. Climate Skeptics are engaging in a form of hate speech. Nothing to see here… move along…
Well…right up until the general public realizes that the so called green groups have determined that in order to save the planet, (by whatever scam sticks)…a certain number of the general public must be systematically exterminated, in order to achieve the green goals.
I suspect when the ‘day of reckoning’ arrives, the proverbial dog poop will hit the fan. Just saying….
I wish it would. If things don’t turn around sharply, I sometimes think our only hope is anger. Waking up is a start though, and people are certainly doing that.
“in order to save the planet, (by whatever scam sticks)…a certain number of the general public must be systematically exterminated, in order to achieve the green goals. ”
We had to destroy the village in order to save it.
Rancid.
Sounds to me that a revers RICO is in order
Not needed. 18USC241 makes it a crime punishable by fines and up to 10 years imprisonment to conspire to deprive any person of any constitutional right. Basic civil rights law. Applicable here. Most formal entities have standing as legal ‘persons’. CEI is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt charitable org with IRS EIN 52-1351785, annual ‘income’ of about $6.5 million and assets over $1.2 million.
There are two courses of action that CEI should follow. 1. Get a sympathetic AG to press criminal charges against the activists and the US VI AG under 18USC241. Just figure out how to get standing with one or more of them. 2. File a civil suit against same under 42USC1985. Make the damages several years worth of total CEI funding. The emails and previous meeting information provide all the evidence necessary for a criminal conviction and a civil summary judgement award. CEI could crowd source the cost of the civil action. Surely many WUWT readers would contribute.
One more thing. All attorney participating in the fraud should be disbarred.
I think the group of AG’s just may the day they listened to Gore and Obama and pursued this. The big screw up was thinking that Exxon would just roll over.
I expect that Exxon as well as other oil companies and “defendants’ will drag the whole green movement into this via the discovery process. It’s going to get ugly. Really, really ugly.
I would 2nd that proposition. Their tactics go beyond just CEI as I also feel threatened/assaulted by the actions of the said AG’s and arbitrary policies of the current administration.
This is outright oppression in my opinion, right along with many other aspects of the current administration’s pursuits that follow the same path to suppression of our rights as U.S. citizens.
A class action suit may be warranted in the end.
7,000,000,000 in the class and growing daily. That’s seven billion people, for the innumerate among us, and we be many.
====================
And who is going to investigate this and possibly take action? FBI? AG Loretta Lynch? Uh huh.
Excellent point, brians356.
..The FBI is not controlled by Obama and his liberal lapdogs !
If that were the case Marcus, Hillary would be in the same boat as General Petraeus, but she isn’t.
Really? Q: Who does the FBI Director report to? A: AG Loretta Lynch. Q: Who appointed Director James Comey? A: Dear Leader
Not yet. Confirmed that FBI accessed at least some of the private emails. Confirmed that Comey has broadened the investigation to imclude political corruption in addition to secrecy (State favors to foreign doners to Clinton foundation, already documented ‘appearance coincidences’, but needing corrupt intent evidence). Many who know Comey say he has great integrity, and if he recommends charges and Lynch doesn’t follow the recommendation he will resign and there will be the equivalent the Watergate Saturday night massacre.
42USC1985 allows CEI to file civil suit on its own initiative.
I’m sure the AGs are shaking in their Gucci loafers. And what would winning look like?
who pays any award, ultimately?
so taxpayers get punished for paying taxes- that’s an established norm- but it does nothing to discourage the vultures
imo, it’s far preferable to get the conspiring AGs fired and no pensions.
I hope those who can are listening to you, Ristvan. This should happen IMHO.
From the perspective of ‘We’re conspiring to present what we want others to believe, therefore any dissent must be a conspiracy’.
When you want to know what a leftist is doing, just look at what they are accusing others of doing.
Chris, I read this story a few minutes ago as reported in the NY times. Your report was much cleared than their version. the NY times version was almost unintelegable.
I gave up part way through. It’s like they didn’t really want anyone to understand what was going on
thanks
It’s not unlikely the “journalist” who wrote the NYT story doesn’t understand what’s going on.
I think it’s more likely is the NYT doesn’t want YOU to know what’s going on.
That’s how they operate.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NEWS_MEDIA_TRUST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-04-18-03-54-48
Conspiracy against rights is a federal offense in the United States of America under 18 U.S.C. § 241 (Wikipedia). The industry and the think-tanks should take this matter to court.
Isn’t the first step in proving Exxon and others were withholding damaging information to put forth the damaging information they were supposedly withholding? I have not seen any credible evidence of CO2 induced harm to date . Even the speculative “evidence” is incapable of showing present harm and wildly speculative on future harm. It seems to me that declaring these speculations to stockholders as reason for concern would be misleading. Basing company policy on them would be betraying their trust. So these AGs are in effect attempting to cause the companies to mislead their owners to promote the AG’s agenda.
Yes, if you want to look at real harm, how about we start with the UN introducing Cholera to Haiti, which had never experienced Cholera before. Now on a multi year outbreak after the UN gave it to them.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2016/04/what_caused_haiti_s_cholera_epidemic_the_cdc_s_museum_knows_but_won_t_say.html
The Clinton’s stolen gold mine
Drains the sane and fine.
Drink the water,
No more cholera;
Nothing left on which they’ll dine.
====================
Thanks…unbelievable
Bombshell? I believe most of us here suspected this when the story was discussed here.
It’s one thing to “know” something.
It’s another to have actual evidence of the thing you “know”.
It’s too bad we currently have a deeply compromised Dept. of Justice also.
Times, as well as presidents and the people they appoint, change.
Right now, those AGs probably think they are untouchable.
Lots of criminals thought that, right up until the cell door slammed .
“Anti fossil fuel Rockefeller”. Who was this guy Rockefeller? The founder of Standard Oil who made billions from …
Fossil fuel.
Wealthy trust fund progeny, never having known anything but pampered luxury, learning how their riches originated, socialized by liberal Ivy League professors, suffering from guilt and living a meaningless existence, discover “saving the planet” as a way to atone for their forebears’ sins.
Yep, that guy, the one who funded US eugenics programs and supplied Hitler’s war machine.
Lloyd Finicum was murdered by FBI and Oregon State Police a few months ago. They stated under oath that he was shot in self-defense as he reached for a gun, although video released by the FBI showed its snipers had fired through the roof of his truck and tried to kill its occupants before he stopped. His murder was judged to be justified. Let’s pretend the Nazis haven’t taken over.
I sure hope Energy & Environment Legal Institute shreds them.
That would be LaVoy Finicum.
.”..While building America..” and changing the life of many in a significant way along with others.
http://www.history.com/shows/men-who-built-america
Kinda reminds me Winchester’s heir. She was nuts!
But at least her madness didn’t infect the rest of the world.
i wonder what if any play this will get in the MSM….?
Tongue firmly in cheek there, Mike?
I wonder if the conspiracy among the anti-skeptic AG’s will become an issue in the Presidential primaries.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/04/18/ags-activists-accused-collusion-on-exxon-probe-amid-new-emails.html?intcmp=hpbt2
Putting people with an opinion in jail is going to save the World?
Green drivers. Renewable technology? Clean power?
It’s a tale told by activists to promote special interests.
I hear there are openings coming up in Brazil also.
this is what fascism looks like.
While you’re at it, an investigation is still needed of the Justice Dept. role in ousting Alaska senator Ted Stevens with charges that were later dismissed but which resulting in breaking of the senate majority rule vote to pass key Obama agenda items and almost Waxman-Markey.
The Just Us Department. Yes, Rg, this is a particularly egregious and evil example. Stevens is now dead, but honoring his memory would be to bring the matter to better resolution. It is an ongoing sore, seeding further federal failure.
=============
Maybe there is a simple solution to this argument. Why don’t all fossil fuels companies just work to rule and only deliver limited quantities of oil petrol coal and gas especially restrict deliveries of kerosene to airlines and especially to airforce 1 and then see what Obama says?
Fossil fuel companies (Hess) paying hundred millions to empower their enimies. Suicidal strategy.
No. Hess operated since 1965 one of the largest WH refineries on St. Croix, USVI. Massive oil spills contaminated the main island aquifer in 1990s from lack of maintenance investment. EPA has already recovered 43 million gallons. Hess sold half to Venezuela (PDVSA) in 1995, form of a JV, to spread liability, in return for committing tomuse only Venezuelan crude. In 2002 the JV signed an agreement with USVI to keep the refinery operating (VI taxes and jobs) until 2022 in exchange for tax breaks. Then on one days notice in 2014, shut the now unprofitable, old, underinvested in, badly maintained refinery and put the JV into liquidating bankruptcy. Essentially tried to walk away from the JV operating agreement and the environmental cleanup costs. USVI could not touch PDVSA, but nailed Hess.
Nothing remotely like Exxon or CEI concerning climate change.
Thanks. Didn’t know this background story.
Call me cynical but nothing will come of this. The only thing that will stop AGW madness in the US is a sympathetic administration. Look at the AGW leaders in Europe….the UK and Germany….they are economically self destructing in front of everyone and nothing is being done about it. Only a Brexit can help them now.
+1
The only problem with getting our Brexit, which i’ll be voting for, is that for the last 20-30 years the British government and the Civil Service have been kow-towing to the EU. Will they now be able to a) think for themselves and b) have the b*lls to fight our corner in all the tricky negotiations that will be necessary.
a) probably not and
b) probably not.
“…. against groups whose political speech challenges etc …….. .”
If only this whole thing could be un-politicised. (if that is a word.)
Sigh.
It isn’t a problem. If we don’t get favourable trading (export) conditions, then we ban their imports. Don’t forget that when Brexit happens, Cameron and Osbourne will have to go. In will come a more hardline approach with Jonny Foreigner. We’ll have Boris, IDS and David Davis.
x 100.
+1E6. The ‘shameful union’ we should be worrying about, is that with Brussels.
+2