CBS This Morning on Friday promoted a push by members of the Rockefeller family and others to attack ExxonMobil over climate change. Left out of the report? Any mention of the partisan Democrat and liberal ties to the effort. Regarding claims that the company underplayed the threat of global warming, reporter Don Dahler talked to David Kaiser, the grandson of David Rockefeller.
Dahler tossed this softball: “If the board of ExxonMobil is not answering your calls, this is your opportunity. What would you say directly to them? Kaiser lashed out, “If I was talking to the board of ExxonMobil, I would say that right now, their company seems to be morally bankrupt.”
Kaiser is the president of the Rockefeller Family Fund. The Capital Research Center described the organization as a funder of “anti-capitalist causes.” Martin Morse Wooster recounted the group’s attacks against George W. Bush in 2004:
The Rockefeller Family Fund is proud that its categories of grantmaking have changed very little since the fund's creation. But in 2003-04, most of the grants made by the fund had a single purpose–defeating President Bush. The fund did give $150,000 to Columbia University to support Campaigndesk.org, a nonpartisan source for election reporting. But among the fund's 2003 and 2004 grants were $25,000 to the Alliance for Justice for "funding to prevent errors in vote counts on electronic voting machines," $25,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation for the same purpose, $150,000 to the Brennan Center for Justice for "legal redress in states not adequately implementing critical elements of the Help America Vote Act," $150,000 to People for the American Way "for the Democracy Now Project" and $35,000 to the Federation of State Leagues of Conservation Voters "to increase the participation of environmentally concerned voters."
Of course, this wasn’t mentioned on CBS This Morning. Dahler also talked to Valerie Rockefeller Wayne. He vaguely explained, “Valerie Rockefeller Wayne is the daughter of former Senator Jay Rockefeller.” Jay Rockefeller was the Democratic senator from West Virginia. His party affiliation was also ignored.
Later, Dahler told viewers, “New York and Massachusetts have announced fraud investigations to determine if ExxonMobil misled the public about its research on climate change." New York’s attorney General is Eric Schneiderman, a liberal Democrat who chose to go after Donald Trump in 2016.
Massachusetts’s attorney general is Maura Healy, another liberal Democrat.
The CBS segment ended with this exchange:
CO-HOST ANTHONY MASON: Why does Exxon think the family is after them?
DON DAHLER: That is the million dollar question— or the billion dollar question.
Perhaps viewers would have had a better idea if CBS journalists had informed them that the attack on Exxon is being pushed by a liberal organization and backed by liberal Democrats.
A transcript of the CBS segment is below:
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CBS This Morning
12/2/16
7:42AM ETGAYLE KING: Only on CBS this Morning, members of the Rockefeller family are giving their first TV interviews about a public falling out with ExxonMobil. The energy giant is one of the successors to Standard Oil. That company's founder was John D. Rockefeller. Now some of his descendants are criticizing ExxonMobil's record on climate change. Don Dahler spoke to them why they feel obliged to speak out now. Don, good morning.
DON DAHLER: Good morning. According to Forbes, the Rockefellers are the third richest family in the U.S. with a fortune of $11 billion. Today, much of that wealth goes towards philanthropy towards organizations like the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Rockefeller Family Fund. Both of which backed reports that said that ExxonMobil knew more than it led on about the threat of global warming. Well, if the board of ExxonMobil is not answering your calls, this is your opportunity what would you say directly to them?
DAVID KAISER (President of the Rockefeller Family Fund): If I was talking to the board of ExxonMobil, I would say that right now, their company seems to be morally bankrupt.
DAHLER: These fifth generation descendants of John D. Rockefeller are speaking out against the company to which they owe their prosperity. David Kaiser is the grandson of former Chase Bank Chairman David Rockefeller. Valerie Rockefeller Wayne is the daughter of former Senator Jay Rockefeller.
VALERIE ROCKEFELLER WAYNE: Because the source of the family wealth is fossil fuels, we feel an enormous moral responsibility for our children, for everyone, to move forward
DAHLER: They’re doing that by looking back. The charities they run funded investigations that appeared in the Los Angeles Times and InsideClimate News. The reports suggest “Exxon had been at the forefront of climate change research” since the late 1970s and knew the burning of fossil fuels “would warm the planet and could eventually endanger humanity,” even while the company downplayed the science in a series of newspaper ads and television interviews.
FRANK SPROW (ExxonMobil VP from 2000): This is complicated. Don't believe statements that say it's clear that things are warming. It's not clear.
DAHLER: Exxon Mobil accuses the Rockefellers of conspiring against the corporation. In a phone call with CBS News, a company official described it as a “coordinated campaign to vilify the company.” A spokesman initially sent us a statement saying the reports were “funded and then promoted by activists,” claiming they’re “not credible and have been widely discredited.” The company later retracted that statement, telling us they “don’t have a comment.” The company has taken the unusual step of publicly criticizing you and the family funds, calling you conspirators. This has gotten personal
KAISER: Well, you know it’s really very silly. For something to count as a conspiracy it can’t just have been done in concert with other people, it also has to be illegal and we haven’t done anything illegal
DAHLER: Kaiser says a large majority of the family supports their efforts, but not everyone is on board.
ARIANA ROCKEFELLER: These family funds do not speak on behalf of all 200 family members
DAHLER: His cousin Ariana Rockefeller insists all sides should be working together on solutions for climate change.
ARIANA ROCKEFELLER: I don’t think denouncing a family legacy is the best way to go about doing this
DAHLER: Still, Kaiser and Wayne say it's important to learn what the company has done to clear up the debate over what to do next.
WAYNE: What we would hope from Exxon is that they would admit what they’ve done — these decades of denial — and continue what they’ve started in a very small way to do now, which is to look at alternatives and we really hope they become an industry leader. They can set the tone for the industry in doing more, but the truth has to come out
DAHLER: New York and Massachusetts have announced fraud investigations to determine if ExxonMobil misled the public about its research on climate change. Exxon has launched a vigorous defense, suing the attorneys general of both states in federal court alleging a “conspiracy” with what it claims are “politically motivated investigations.”ExxonMobil now acknowledges the risk of climate change and reports spending billions of dollars to find ways to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Really interesting.
KING: Yeah. Really is. Sound like a very high level and civilized version of Family Feud.
DAHLER: That is it. The question is whether John D. Rockefeller would have wanted it to remain private or to be made public.
ANTHONY MASON: Why does Exxon think the family is after them?
DAHLER: That is the million dollar question or the billion dollar question, I guess there. The family in funding these investigations that have been made public has made the issue public, not only that — about climate change but whether or not they misled the public from the 1970s on about climate change.
