We know Murray Energy CEO and documented piece of shit Bob Murray is a liar, but it appears he's even been lying to the White House and Trump's cabinet.
The Daily Beast reported yesterday morning that Bob Murray donated $1 million to Trump's biggest political action committee (PAC) just days after he personally asked the White House to subsidize and bail out one of Murray's customers in the coal industry.
That sounds like an attempt to bribe the Trump regime, and it probably was, but that's not the most revealing part of this story.
Murray addressed a letter to Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Trump, and anyone else who would listen claiming that FirstEnergy's bankruptcy would lead to Murray Energy's bankruptcy and the collapse of the whole coal industry.
That was pure, distilled bullshit.
Two weeks after that letter, and ten days after its America First contribution, Murray wrote to Energy Secretary Rick Perry. He estimated that a failure to prop up FirstEnergy would cost his company more than $4 billion. In fact, he said, “no other viable alternative…will stop the certain collapse of much of the thermal coal industry.”
The Trump administration rebuked the company, and declined to issue the order that Murray sought. But Murray ended up finding a lifeline elsewhere. This week, FirstEnergy announced a “transformational” $2.5 billion investment from Elliot Management, the hedge fund run by Republican megadonor Paul Singer.
Bob Murray toured Washington with his hair on fire begging for a handout from federal taxpayers and, as it turns out, he didn't really need it.
It was recently reported that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission told Energy Secretary Rick Perry to take a hike when he proposed raising prices on customers to subsidize the coal and nuclear industries. So, even if Murray were being honest, the subsidy he asked for was never going to happen.
The holy, infallible, and omnipotent Invisible Hand of the Free Market™ has spoken.