‘Resign’: Ilhan Omar Tells Off Big Oil Executives to Their Faces

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) told a group of Big Oil executives on Thursday to resign.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing about climate change, featuring Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods, BP CEO David Lawler, Chevron CEO Michael Wirth, and Shell Oil president Gretchen Watkins, American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers, U.S. Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Suzanne Clark and former Keystone XL Pipeline welding foreman Neal Crabtree.

“The fossil fuel industry worked collectively to prevent action on climate change,” said Omar, adding that “their efforts at disinformation were conscious and deliberate.”

Omar also lamented what she called Big Oil’s influence in politics and on the environment.

Over the past few decades, the fossil fuel industry has continued their efforts by making $780 million in political donations with 80 percent of the donations going to Republicans,” she said. “In 2020 alone, the industry made $139 million in donations to candidates and committees of which 84 percent went to Republicans and mostly climate deniers. It is yet another reason to get the fossil fuel money out of our politics.”

“Fossil fuel companies have polluted our air, land, and water for profit despite knowing the devastating impact it has on our companies. It seems like you all achieved that victory of leading the public with disinformation,” continued Omar. “And as one of my colleagues said earlier, I hope that you are ashamed of the future that you contributed for your children and for ours and I ask all of you to resign.”

Watch above, via CSPAN.