House Republicans on the House Science Committee sent a series of letters to 17 state attorneys general and eight climate change organizations, from Greenpeace to the Rockefeller Family Fund, that accuses them of a:
[...] coordinated attempt to deprive companies, nonprofit organizations, and scientists of their First Amendment rights and ability to fund and conduct scientific research free from intimidation and threats of prosecution.
This is in response to the 17 attorneys general who announced that they will be going after ExxonMobil and others for perpetuating a fraud on every single person on the planet.
"The First Amendment, ladies and gentlemen, does not give you the right to commit fraud," said Schneiderman, who in November issued a subpoena to ExxonMobil under the state's far-reaching securities and consumer protection statutes.
"Every attorney general does work on fraud cases, and we are pursuing this as we would any other fraud matter. You have to tell the truth, you can't make misrepresentations of the kinds we've seen here," he said on Tuesday. "The scope of the problem we are facing, the size of the corporate entities and their alliances, the trade associations and other groups, is massive and it requires a multistate effort."
Schneiderman had this to say about the do-nothing Congress:
"It is remarkable that a do-nothing Congress that has refused to take any action on climate change is now attempting to disrupt this important investigation into potential corporate malfeasance," New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's spokesman Eric Soufer said in a statement.
"The irony of this letter is breathtaking, as its signatories appear to be part of a multi-pronged media campaign funded by the fossil fuel industry aimed at suppressing the free exchange of ideas among scientists, academics, and responsible law enforcement. New York will continue to work with and collaborate with its colleagues across the country, and those with expertise in this area, to protect its citizens from fraud," said Soufer.
Pathetic. The globe is burning and there is clear evidence that companies like ExxonMobil were well aware of the dangers companies like themselves posed to the climate, and not only did they hide that information for decades, they actively worked to cast doubt on the very facts they themselves suspected.
You can go here to find the letters and the idiots writing them.