We leave the press briefing befuddled, but anxious to get an answer. We call the Justice Department's spokesperson on all matters criminal, John Russell. We returned to see Attorney General Reno last week, and asked her if she had read Lieber's book yet. We offered our copy of Rats in the Grain to the Attorney General. It's not easy criminally prosecuting a major American corporation.
Hard questions have to be answered and deals have to be struck.
But this apparent deal gave absolute protection to ADM's top two officers, when they should at least have been hauled in for some tough questions about what they knew and when they knew it. Russell Mokhiber is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime Reporter. Robert Weissman is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Multinational Monitor. Focus on the Corporation is a weekly column written by Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman. Please feel free to forward the column to friends or repost the column on other lists.