National

Rockefeller Director Disappointed That the Rockefeller-Funded Exxon Investigation Failed

Rockefeller Family Fund (RFF) executive director Lee Wasserman, the instigator of the New York attorney general’s (NYAG’s) investigation and lawsuit against ExxonMobil, seemed disappointed to learn the limits of his attempts to use public officials to prosecute his enemies after the New York Supreme Court cleared the company of any wrongdoing. As the Rockefeller-funded activist network turns its attention to a similar lawsuit filed by the Massachusetts attorney general, it’s worth investigating whether Wasserman’s wealthy anti-fossil fuel foundation has tried to exert a similar degree of influence on the Massachusetts attorney general’s investigation-turned-lawsuit.

New York Supreme Court Justice Barry Ostrager ruled in favor of ExxonMobil in the People of the State of New York v. ExxonMobil last Tuesday. The case was the culmination of a years-long effort by climate activists, public officials and wealthy foundations to hold the company “accountable” for what “Exxon Knew” – most of it funded by the Rockefellers.

The RFF and Rockefeller Brothers Fund have bankrolled nearly every aspect of the “Exxon Knew” campaign, including academic reports, favorable media coverage, activist groups, and even the lawyers suing energy producers. In an op-ed ahead of trial, RFF’s Wasserman admitted to funding the litigation campaign:

“New York is just one front in a legal struggle against the fossil fuel industry, one that the organization I direct has been involved in by financing legal advocacy groups representing plaintiffs in two other lawsuits against the oil giant.” (emphasis added)

Continue reading at EID Climate.

No Comments

Post A Comment