Democrats Urge DOJ to Probe Big Oil’s Misinformation Campaign on Climate Change

By Trisha Andrada

May 23, 2024 12:45 AM EDT

US Democratic Senator from Rhode Island Sheldon Whitehouse looks on during the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis" in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2024.
(Photo : ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Democrats in the House and Senate have asked the Department of Justice to review its investigation into claims that the oil sector spread false information about climate change.

Companies have allegedly lied to the public about their role in the issue and their intentions to combat it for many years, as per PBS NewsHour.

Referred to Atty. Gen. Garland for Further Investigation

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) informed reporters, including The Hill, that the matter has been formally referred to Attorney General Merrick Garland for an investigation into the necessity of filing charges.

Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) reportedly said the issue is the decades-long propaganda effort of 'Big Oil', which is misleading people about the climate impacts of fossil fuels and blocking real action to combat the crisis. Big Oil refers to the world's biggest and most important publicly listed oil and natural gas companies.

Democrats Accuse Oil Industry of 'Deception, Disinformation'

The call for an investigation comes after the Democrats' report last month, accusing the oil sector of "deception, disinformation, and doublespeak" based on internal records. The firms denied any misconduct, though.

Along with its findings last month, the committee disclosed hundreds more papers.

In a statement, the White House noted that legislators have invited the Department of Justice to review the public records and informed them that many more documents are available for inquiry if they so desire.

In one document, an ExxonMobil public relations manager confesses to "working against" climate research and policy. Notably, in 2015, Inside Climate News and The Los Angeles Times disclosed that Exxon knew about climate change for decades but backed climate denial. Eventually, the industry was hit with many lawsuits.

Chevron, Shell, and BP, two lobbying organizations, the Chamber of Commerce, and the American Petroleum Institute (API) were also involved in the probe.

The Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile, claimed that Democrats were plotting to utilize police forces against their political opponents, according to The Hill.