Yesterday I wrote a brief diary here concerning the OSHA investigation of Sea World. Next Monday marks the statutory deadline for OSHA to issue any fines or citations against Sea World concerning the tragic death of the killer whale trainer Dawn Brancheau. In my diary I speculated about whether Congressman Grayson (who represents the Florida district that includes Sea World) had spoken to OSHA or Sea World officials about the ongoing investigation. Yesterday afternoon, after numerous press inquiries, his office issued a statement confirming that they had indeed contacted OSHA on behalf of Sea World. Now I don't know about you, but where I come from we call that "interfering with a federal investigation"...
From the Orlando Sentinel article:
Grayson would not answer questions about his exchange with OSHA when reached on his cell phone Thursday, and his office said he was unavailable for an interview later in the day. But Grayson's chief of staff, Julie Tagen, said in an e-mail that Grayson wanted to learn "first hand" the status of OSHA's probe and to "share his own views and impressions regarding the matter."
Okay, so shall we start by mentioning that it would be tough for Mr. Grayson to add anything prescient to the case, given that the OSHA investigators have spent the better part of six months investigating? He hasn't seen the videos or the documents from the case, but the investigators have. He hasn't interviewed hundreds of employees and witnesses to the tragedy but the investigators have. There is absolutely NOTHING that Grayson could know about workplace safety at Sea World that OSHA has not already found out. So why was he interfering, instead of letting the regulators finish their jobs and issue their findings unfettered? I asked him that last night, on a webchat he hosted for Progress for The Progressive Electorate. His answer:
Grayson: It's my job to help constituents who have some problem with a federal agency. This is true whether the constituent is a ...74-year-old grandmother, or a theme park that employs 6000 people.
Really, Congressman? Technically, Sea World has not yet had a problem with OSHA, as they have issued no findings on the matter. Shouldn't you perhaps have waited until they released some findings, studied those findings, and THEN go to bat for them if they had been wronged? It's also worth noting that, while the corporation is indeed part of your constituency, so are the trainers who live in your district and are having their workplace investigated for safety violations and need an unbiased finding. So was the trainer who died a horrific death while working at Sea World.
Maybe we can get a little clue about his thinking from the Sentinel article:
The company operates 10 theme and water parks across the country, including SeaWorld marine parks in San Diego and San Antonio.
It also has a sizable presence in Washington, D.C. SeaWorld spent at least $580,000 on congressional lobbyists during the first six months of this year, according to federal records. And more than half of that spending — $380,000 — occurred in the April-through-June quarter, amid the federal scrutiny triggered by the SeaWorld trainer's death.
Honestly, I don't expect a straight answer from the Congressman on this at this point in the game. (But I'd prefer that he refrain from bloviating about it when FOX News goes to town with the story. Take it like a man.) We'll just have to wait for OSHA to respond and go from there. My question is more for the progressive community. Are we going to give Mr. Grayson a free pass on this because we generally think he's a good dude and he's on our team? Or should we hold him accountable for a bit of hypocrisy this time and try to keep him honest the next time?
Orlando Sentinel article