Greenpeace 3-27-2006

27, March 2006                      Greenpeace

The Wall Street Journal recently investigated a little-known shadowy watchdog group, Public Interest Watch, which was responsible for getting the IRS to audit Greenpeace claiming that the organization was guilty of money laundering and other crimes and challenging its tax exempt status. 

In a classic ‘follow the money trail’, the WSJ determined, not surprisingly, that giant ExxonMobil bankrolled 95% of Public Interest Watch’s funding. The group described its mission in lofty terms as “Keeping an Eye on the Self-Appointed Guardians of the Public Interest." For years, Greenpeace has been one of Exxon Mobile’s harshest critics, labeling the company as "No. 1 Climate Criminal" over its appalling environmental practices. The Murdoch media chain provided a great deal of publicity to the false claims of Public Media Watch.


A subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee jumped on the bandwagon, in deference to their corporate benefactors, and announced they would investigate Greenpeace. The I.R.S. audited Greenpeace tax records and gave them a clean bill of health. The subcommittee of the House determined that the charges leveled at Greenpeace were baseless. It is encouraging to hear that in spite of its wealth, power and enormous influence behemoth ExxonMobil was unable to slay its fierce critic.