Palmer Supports Referral of CSB Chairman to DOJ for Criminal Prosecution

For Immediate Release

Committee asserts Rafael Moure-Eraso lied under oath and made false statements to Congress. See Oversight Video below:

https://youtu.be/7PkPSR6dQuw

WASHINGTON— Congressman Gary Palmer, a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, supports the decision of the Committee to refer former Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso 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 violated federal statutes that prohibit lying under oath and making false statements to Congress.

"Oversight is an important part of Congress's job, and dishonesty on behalf of any Administrative branch employee makes it significantly harder to do oversight effectively. I have serious concerns about the veracity of Mr. Moure-Eraso's testimony before the committee, and it is appropriate that we notify the Attorney General about this issue," said Rep. Palmer.

You can watch a video of Congressman Palmer's questions of Mr. Moure-Eraso during the Committee hearing on March 4th:

https://youtu.be/WA7O2_vfdqY

Key excerpts from the letter sent to DOJ by the Oversight Committee:

• We are writing to ask the Department of Justice to investigate whether Rafael Moure-Eraso, the former Chairman of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), committed perjury and made knowingly false statements during the course of the Committee's investigation of his agency.
• 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.
• The inconsistencies between Mr. Moure-Eraso's testimony and other information received by the Committee raise significant concerns about the truthfulness of Mr. Moure-Eraso's testimony. Furthermore, the testimony in question is related to key aspects of the Committee's investigation, and in each case, Mr. Moure-Eraso appeared to answer questions in such a way as to avoid additional scrutiny.

Read the full report here.

For any additional questions, contact:

Cliff Smith, (202) 225-4921, clifford.smith@mail.house.gov

U.S. Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL) serves on three Congressional committees: Oversight and Government Reform, Budget, and Science, Space and Technology. Visit Palmer online at his website or via Facebook,Twitter, or Instagram.