Press Releases
Grothman Supports Oversight Committee Decision Referring Former CSB Chairman to DOJ for Criminal Prosecution
Washington,
July 10, 2015
(Washington, D.C.) —Today, as part of my work as a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, former Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso was referred to the U.S. Attorney General for criminal prosecution. This criminal referral follows hearings in June 2014 and March 2015 where in his sworn testimony, Mr. Moure-Eraso may have implicated federal statutes that prohibit lying under oath and making false statements to Congress.
Read the full report here. Highlights: • First, Mr. Moure-Eraso testified, under oath, that he consulted with the General Counsel of the CSB before approving a request to access the emails of two CSB employees. However, the agency’s General Counsel told the Committee that the Chairman did not do so. • Second, Mr. Moure-Eraso testified, under oath, that the CSB’s former Chief Information Officer (CIO) was responsible for overseeing a production of emails to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General. According to the Inspector General, Mr. Moure-Eraso’s testimony is contradicted by the former CIO’s sworn statement. • Third, Mr. Moure-Eraso testified, under oath, that he stopped using his personal email account for official business “about a year and a half” before the Committee’s June 2014 hearing. Documents and information provided to the Committee by the Inspector General’s office indicate that Mr. Moure-Eraso in fact continued using his personal email account for official business until a much later date. Click here to see my questioning of Mr. Moure-Eraso. “This kind of behavior is exactly what is wrong with Washington. Lying under oath is against the law, and Mr. Moure-Eraso should be criminally prosecuted,” said Congressman Grothman. “I agree with Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings that what we heard in Committee was not accurate and that we must have honest testimony in order to provide effective oversight. It is my hope that the Department of Justice will consider this important matter.” U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman is serving his first term representing Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Contact his Washington, D.C., office at (202) 225-2476, or online at grothman.house.gov. ### |