BP Worker Takes 5th, Raising Possibility Of Criminal Liability

McClatchy:

WASHINGTON -- A top BP worker who was aboard the Deepwater Horizon in the hours leading up to the explosion declined to testify in front of a federal panel investigating the deadly oil rig blowout, telling the U.S Coast Guard he was invoking his constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination.

The move Wednesday by BP's Robert Kaluza raises the possibility of criminal liability in the April 20 explosion that killed 11 and five weeks later continues to spew hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico each day.

Read the whole story: McClatchy

Comments

[bbrecht]

06:45 PM on 05/27/2010

I want to see the regulators held criminally liable as well.

[bbrecht]

06:44 PM on 05/27/2010

jail baby, jail

[01202009]

06:40 PM on 05/27/2010

Is this person an American citizen? If not just send him to prison. He has no rights. If he is an American citizen bail him out and send him on his way.

[Justin Satzman]

05:09 PM on 05/27/2010

I think BP's punishment for the oil spill should be to pay off the federal deficit. But that is just my opinion.

[leevntheus]

04:39 PM on 05/27/2010

Its high time the American public asserts its sovereignty over its land and resources and begins to understand that private exploitation of public domains is theft. Of the resources and of the income.

The United States Citizen should own the exploration and drilling infrastructure and power over the market and let the dividends pay off our debt.

Crazies think that's awful socialism? Think of things this way: Private enterprise rode into Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran 100 years ago from USA and Britain and made swindling sweetheart deals with local leaders hardly more prominent than beduin tribal chiefs; in some instances right at exact moments those chiefs were flat broke and would have sold their mother for a dollar.

100 years later, the heirs of those deals have kicked the private companies to the curb, taken over their own natural resources, and let Shell, BP, Exxon etc. scrounge around for a few morsels of cash per barrel expediting the delivery.

Why the hell do you people think there is a puppet government in Iraq right now?

But even more important....why the hell can't we....the people...of the USA...get smart like the Arabs and Persians did...and take our lands back...and our oil back...and tell the Exxons and BP's to go retire under a rock with their spoils of the last 100 years of rigged markets.

[01202009]

06:42 PM on 05/27/2010

Faved and fanned. Why the hell can't we? Might have something to do with the fact that Wall Street and Big Business own the country outright and our government works for them....Just saying....

[AudReality]

09:33 PM on 05/27/2010

Because "real" Americans worship wealth, and so anything that gets in the way of the Exxons and the BPs is sacrilege.

[Hallucinocynic]

03:35 PM on 05/27/2010

Well...duh.

Of course there was criminal negligence. IF DOJ does its job, all the invocations of the 5th won't do any good.

[Dominicus]

02:59 PM on 05/27/2010

"Accidents happen".....such B.S.

[Trophoto]

02:57 PM on 05/27/2010

This is potentially a major crime affecting countless people and huge sums of money. Where are the reactionary trolls calling for the 5th amendment not to apply to this person and strip him of his citizenship?

Oh right, he works for a corporation. Ayn Rand would be so proud of him.

[rougebaisers]

01:25 PM on 05/27/2010

This blew on Hitlers birthday. Could Nazi's be involved? Glenn Beck. Calling Glenn Beck.

[Aliceann Marquiess]

01:23 PM on 05/27/2010

I don't think it's a "possibility" anymore. It is now a matter of if and when they will be held accountable for their crimes.

[MoMick]

11:51 AM on 05/27/2010

BP appears to be in the same circumstances as a person who wrecks a rented car then wants to blame the rental company, the maintenance mechanic and the tire manufacturer. Ain't gonna work; BP is the responsible party. Hold them fully accountable and then let their lawyers fight off all claims.

[Aerows]

12:04 PM on 05/27/2010

Exactly, but I'd go further and say they are a drunk driver trying to blame everyone else, including the people they hit and killed for "negligent driving".

[MoMick]

12:19 PM on 05/27/2010

Yeah, I was going to get into the drunk driver and the busload of nuns and preschoolers but opted out. Make up your own worst-case scenario, add it to the situation and it still falls way short of the real damage caused by British Polluters trying to cut corners.

[dutch163]

11:29 AM on 05/27/2010

this is what I am saying: hold these companies criminally liable
including criminally negligent homicide in the deaths of the workers
and then go back and do the same thing to the mining compnay that paid fines rather than fix safety problems and the miners died

[progressivegreg]

11:22 AM on 05/27/2010

Thom Hartmann, on his daily radio show has been speculating that the job of cementing the pipe was rushed because some B.P. V.I.P.'s were coming to the rig to hold a party celebrating the exploration phase completion. If that was the case it explains a lot!

[dutch163]

11:31 AM on 05/27/2010

yes, I heard that and it needs to be further investigated
Hartmann also had info on what other countries do , that we don;t , to protect workers and rigs
we need better regulations
stop letting corporations tell us how to run the show

[progressivegreg]

12:21 PM on 05/27/2010

I agree and fan you for your logic!

[getoffmedz]

10:01 AM on 05/27/2010

It's time to nationalize the entire fossil fuel industry. Put an end to depletion allowances and the stranglehold these greedy @$$h0!e$ have on our lives.

[Trophoto]

02:58 PM on 05/27/2010

fanned. The depletion allowance must end.