Corruption in Politics
Outrageous ExxonMobil

Fighting for people over profits ... Stop Christie's Scandalous Settlement with Oil Giant Exxon

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Fighting for people over profits Stop Christie's Scandalous Settlement with Oil Giant Exxon Exxon donated nearly $2 million to a group that financed NJ Governor Chris Christie's election campaigns. Then, Christie decided to settle a $9 billion lawsuit against Exxon for $225 million -- just 3% of the damages it should pay. With Christie exploring a run for president, now is our best chance to pressure him to call off this outrageous deal. Sign the petition to demand Chris Christie call off this scandalous settlement and make Exxon pay what it owes. The lawsuit for contamination of more than 1,500 acres of wetlands was filed in 2004. It had been litigated by four New Jersey governors, finally advanced last year to trial. Exxon was found guilty, and the only issue was how much it would pay in damages. A month ago, a judge was about to make a decision on how much Exxon would pay, but the Christie administration twice petitioned the court to stop them from making a ruling so that he could negotiate a weak settlement in secret. We can't know for sure that Exxon's donations to Christie caused him to lobby the court, but his actions -- at the expense of NJ residents, to the benefit of Exxon -- leave us with enormous questions. Sign the petition to demand Chris Christie make Exxon pay what it owes. This deal is beyond comprehension, but if you follow the money it all starts to make sense. Federal records show that the settlement follows a wave of campaign cash from the company to the Christie-run Republican Governors Association. Since Christie's first run for governor in 2009, Exxon has donated more than $1.9 million to the Republican Governors Association, which financed his campaigns. The more details of this case come to light, the more clear Christie's ties to Exxon become. He even hired a former Exxon lawyer as his attorney general in 2010. Let's make sure that this presidential hopeful doesn't get away with this blatant act of corruption and expose this deal to the public for what it is: a corporate cash giveaway. Literally billions of dollars are at stake. Together, we are working to challenge the power of corporations who want to buy our democracy and avoid paying their fair share. Whether it's standing up to corporate giveaways under the guise of 'trade agreements', exposing corruption, or protecting our environment from degradation, we will continue to fight corporate greed at every turn. Please sign the petition to demand Chris Christie call off this scandalous settlement. *********** More info: Exxon Settles $9 Billion Pollution Case in New Jersey for Far Less, New York Times, February 27th, 2015 Chris Christie Settles ExxonMobil Case After Oil Giant Gave RGA Big Cash, International Business Times, February 27th, 2015