http:\/\/www.truth-out.org\/what-koch-brothers-say-online-wont-say-under-oath\/1328906640
\nFriday 10 February 2012
\nby: Robert Greenwald, Brave New Foundation | Op-Ed<\/p>\n
David Koch. (Photo: Stephen Crowley \/ The New York Times)<\/p>\n
Why will Charles and David Koch produce a video about their position on the Keystone XL oil pipeline and not testify before Congress about it? The Koch brothers have refused to answer questions about how they stand to profit from the Keystone XL pipeline, a 1,700-mile long boondoggle that would cut through six states and damage American homes and farmland.<\/p>\n
The Koch brothers have an attack-dog website of their own, KochFacts.com, which they have used defensively and reflexively to attack me and others who\u2019ve questioned or investigated the Koch brothers\u2019 vast $100 billion business. The Koch brothers refuse to testify in Congress about their interest in the pipeline, but they\u2019ll make a web video asserting their innocence.<\/p>\n
We took the Kochs\u2019 video retreat and added a few facts from the historical record.<\/p>\n
Maybe the Koch brothers prefer to let their allies in Congress speak for them? House Energy and Commerce Committee chair Rep. Ed Whitfield got $15,000 in donations from Koch Industries. Is he doing the Koch brothers bidding?<\/p>\n
Whitfield is the tip of the iceberg. The Koch brothers and their employees were the single largest oil and gas donors to the committee with jurisdiction over the Keystone XL pipeline. They\u2019ve contributed $279,500 to 22 of the 31 Republicans and $32,000 to five Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, according to the Los Angeles Times. It makes sense then that Whitfield and his cohorts would shy away from biting the hand that feeds them.<\/p>\n
But the Koch brothers admit their business interests in Keystone. A Koch company website confesses to being among the \u201clargest crude oil purchasers, shippers and exporters\u201d at the pipeline\u2019s starting point in Northwest Canada.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s stopping the Koch brothers from testifying under oath in Congress? Apparently the Koch brothers are OK publishing statements on KochFacts.com that they won\u2019t repeat in Congress. Why won\u2019t they testify before Congress and put the issue to rest?<\/p>\n
Activism around the Keystone pipeline has put the Koch brothers on the defensive. We need to continue insisting the Koch brothers testify in Congress. If they\u2019ll make a video about the Keystone XL pipeline, why can\u2019t they testify about their interest in it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
http:\/\/www.truth-out.org\/what-koch-brothers-say-online-wont-say-under-oath\/1328906640 Friday 10 February 2012 by: Robert Greenwald, Brave New Foundation | Op-Ed David Koch. (Photo: Stephen Crowley \/ The New York Times) Why will Charles and David Koch produce a video about their position on the Keystone XL oil pipeline and not testify before Congress about it? The Koch brothers have refused to answer … Continue reading Truthout.org: What the Koch Brothers Say Online but Won\u2019t Say Under Oath about Keystone XL Pipeline<\/span>