This Should Be Frustrating to Watch

Posted on 06/01/2010 at 4:56 pm by Bob Cesca

The Justice Department is opening a criminal investigation of BP and the other corporations involved in the oil spill.

PORT FOURCHON, La. — Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday that federal authorities have opened criminal and civil investigations into the nation’s worst oil spill, and BP lost billions in market value when shares dropped in the first trading day since the company failed yet again to plug the gusher.

Investors presumably realized the best chance to stop the leak was months away and there was no end in sight to the cleanup. As BP settled in for the long-term, Holder announced the criminal probe, though he would not specify the companies or individuals that might be targeted.

“We will closely examine the actions of those involved in the spill. If we find evidence of illegal behavior, we will be extremely forceful in our response,” Holder said in New Orleans.

I’m sure at the end of the day there will be some sort of fine that will ultimately be a very small chunk out of BP’s massive profit margin. And if Exxon Valdez is any sort of precedent, BP will just endlessly appeal any ruling until the fines are whittled down to nothing.

I have zero confidence that BP will pay the deserved punishment for this.

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  • Michale32086

    I question the wisdom of opening a criminal probe against the very people one expects to fix the problem…Kinda like trying to assign blame as to who punched holes in the boat WHILE the boat is sinking..Surely the better course of action would be to work together to fix the holes in the boat and THEN worry about who did what when…No???Michale32086

  • Allen Frederick

    “I have zero confidence that BP will pay the deserved punishment for this.”That is an accurate statement. Unfortunately, that’s the price we all pay in a world run completely by corporations.

  • Michale32086

    By the bi, I have to compliment this site on the quality of the BP Feed.. I actually run the live feed directly from BP on one of my monitors.. But the quality of the feed on this site is superior, even when set at the same size and resolution..Kudos….Michale32086

  • MrBrink

    I question the wisdom of opening a criminal probe against the very people one expects to fix the problem…

    Sounds like a threat.

  • Michale32086

    MrBrinkSounds like a threat.Not at all..However, it IS human nature..How hard would the average person work when they know that they might be thrown in jail after they successfully complete the task??The decision to prosecute was, in all likelyhood a POLITICAL decision to placate the masses. To give the appearence that the government is actually DOING something…. ANYTHING.In the reality of the here and now, it seems to be a moronic step to take, in light of the fact that the capabilities of BP far FAR exceed the capabilities of the US Government in this particular instance..In other words, you don’t punch a guy in the face if you want that same guy to give you his all in helping you out of a jam…Michale32086

  • MrBrink

    In the reality of the here and now/i>…It’s a crime scene down there.

  • MichaelLA

    That is an accurate statement. Unfortunately, that’s the price we all pay in a world run completely by corporations.Posted by: Allen Frederick at June 1, 2010 5:43 PMYeah, I was shocked that Cesca wrote that sentence.It always seems like political commentators (not just Cesca) address current events as if politicians have a great deal of autonomy. Even Cenk Uygur, who is critical of Obama quite often, acts as if he is dumbfounded when he “bows his head” to big oil.It’s why I could never comment on this shit. My answer is always “follow the money/ corporate and special interests rule.” People don’t want to hear/read such things. They want to think that they have power when even their pols are relatively powerless.

  • Michale32086

    It’s a crime scene down there.And so was the area around the WTC on the morning of Sep 11, 2001…Was the first priority forensic evidence and investigation?? Of course not..The first priority was the aid to the wounded…In the here and now, the Gulf Coast is the wounded..Let’s tend to our wounded first and THEN worry about assigning blame…Fix the problem NOW…Fix the blame later…Isn’t that logical??Michale32086

  • MrBrink

    Isn’t that logical??No.Obstruction of justice is never the logical choice.It’s the expedient choice.

  • Michale32086

    No one is suggesting obstructing anything..Let me put it to you another way..If you have a burning building with people trapped inside, what is your first priority??To start an arson investigation and start pointing fingers???Or get the people out and to safety??Michale32086

  • MrBrink

    Your false-equivalencies aside, let me put it to you another way.Obstruction of justice is a crime.Justice does not, and should not wait until your arbitrary comfort zone and fears of corporate reprisals are realized and assuaged.The job of pulling people out of fires is the job of professional rescue workers.Investigating a crime is the job of the DOJ.It isn’t a matter of choosing between one or the other.You’re suggesting they defer doing their job until some vague day in the future.That’s called obstruction of justice.See how that works, yet?

  • Michale32086

    No one is suggesting obstructing anything..Let me put it to you another way..If you have a burning building with people trapped inside, what is your first priority??To start an arson investigation and start pointing fingers???Or get the people out and to safety??Michale32086

  • Michale32086

    “You’re suggesting they defer doing their job until some vague day in the future.No, I am suggesting that they defer doing their job if it will likely impact the performance of OTHER people’s jobs that may save lives and property and livelihoods..You are worried about prosecuting people..I am more concerned about people’s lives and the environment..Michale32086

  • MrBrink

    What people? Those 11 rig workers can’t be rescued.And when’s a good time to pursue justice or investigate?After all the people are eulogized and laid to rest?Someone call the DOJ and tell them they’re doing it all wrong and it’s not really obstruction of justice to obstruct an investigation until a more convenient time and place for the offending parties involved is mutually settled upon, according to some dude on the internet.

  • Michale32086

    What people? Those 11 rig workers can’t be rescued.I am referring to the hundreds of thousands of people on the Gulf Coast who will lose their lives (IE their livelihood) if this mess isn’t dealt with.What’s more important?Those hundreds of thousands of people who will lose everything??Or scoring political points by playing the tough guy??Michale32086

  • armytanker

    The rich and powerful are not subjected to the same laws that us peasants are governed by. Look at the financial crisis. Wall Street bankers burned down the economy, and who goes to the gray bar hotel? Bernie does, why, because he stole from the rich. If he would have stuck to ripping off retiree pension funds. He probably would have got no more than a slap on the wrist. If there really was justice then we should have already seen BP’s CEO and who ever was responsible on the rig for the accident. Doing the frog march to the paddy wagon for the negligent homicide of 11 rig workers. Arrests and charges would be still happening.