AG Lynch Discussed DOJ Action Against Climate Deniers

Earlier this week United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch removed herself from any consideration for the Supreme Court, and just yesterday she admitted in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that “the Justice Department has “discussed” taking civil legal action against the fossil fuel industry for “denying” the “threat of carbon emissions” when it comes to climate change.

Chris Horner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who was labeled a “climate criminal” at the Paris climate meeting a few months ago (see photo below) offered this response: “If there's a legitimate legal claim here, it is far more likely to be against climate promoters for hyping climate risk to the public detriment, and often for private gain, which is a suit that attorneys general in states harmed by this campaign ought to consider.”

Horner went on to explain how climate activists who have attempted to bring racketeering charges (in the form of RICO cases) against their political opponents are in the wrong:

“The global warming industry, with its fetish for threats, intimidation and tantrums for silencing and even jailing its political opponents, is now calling on a politicized arm of the government​ as its muscle. This tells us that, even with all of their money, they are unable to persuade private sector attorneys to take their frivolous civil RICO demands seriously enough to take the case in the face of potential sanctions for doing so.

 The frivolousness of this demand is manifest in records already in the public domain, as well as others presently under seal awaiting judicial ruling. “

You can see more on CEI’s work on this RICO issue here.