CNN Climate Council: Joe Biden in trouble after fundraising at fossil fuel company

Former Vice President Joe Biden apparently ignored that one of the co-organizers of a fundraiser to which he is due to participate Thursday is the co-founder of a fossil fuel company – at least until he is asked about fundraising in CNN's climate. town hall on climate change Wednesday evening.

The man in question is Andrew Goldman, co-founder of Houston-based Western LNG, which produces and transports natural gas. Goldman was a senior advisor to Biden when the 2020 Democratic favorite was in the US Senate, and co-hosts one of two major fundraisers for Biden in New York on Thursday.

Isaac Larkin, audience member and supporter of Bernie Sanders, wondered if the public could trust Biden's promise not to accept money from fossil fuel companies when he was participating in a fundraiser organized by Goldman.

Anderson, CNN's animator Anderson Cooper, challenged Biden to answer Larkin's question: "If you participate in a fundraiser organized in part by this company that runs on natural gas, are you the good guy? ", he said. research.

"I did not know he was doing that," Biden told Goldman. "If you look at documents filed by the SEC, it's not in the list of leaders. That's what we're looking at. SEC filings.

When Mr. Cooper asked Cooper if he still intended to participate in the fundraiser, Mr. Biden said, "I'll look at what you told me and see if that's right, yes . "

Later at CNN's Town Hall, Cooper said Goldman was a co-founder of LNG and did not currently have day-to-day responsibilities.

"My staff said that he had no responsibility to society," Biden said. "He was not part of the board of directors, he was absolutely not involved in the running of the company. But if that happens to be true, I will not accept his help in any way. We check each contribution. "

Nevertheless, Larkin's question raises a deep distrust among voters as to how money influences politics and politics. Leaders of the Sunrise Movement youth group quickly criticized Biden for fundraising.

"Holding this fundraiser is a flagrant violation of Biden's commitment," Sunrise co-founder Varshini Prakash said in a statement. "If Biden really wants to take the power of the fossil fuel lobby, why is he taking part in a fundraiser organized by the co-founder of a natural gas company? If Biden wants to be taken seriously about climate change, he must cancel this fundraiser. "

Like many of his competitors in the presidential race, Biden has sworn to fossil money, as well as money from super PACs, business ventures and federal lobbyists. But unlike his two biggest opponents, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Biden continued to organize very expensive fundraisers (all of which were covered by a joint press).

"These fundraisers are the place where the influence is hawked," Vox Brendan Fischer, director of the federal reform of the Campaign Legal Center, said recently. "It's actually a purchased access. We accept it and the situation has normalized, but if a fundraiser requires a check for $ 2,800 to enter, a candidate sells his access to himself. "

The Biden campaign revealed that Goldman was not technically a responsible leader for fossil fuels, which Cooper later specified.

"What Anderson Cooper just said about Vice President Biden's fundraiser is inaccurate," said Biden's senior advisor, Symone Sanders. tweeted. "Andrew Goldman is not a responsible leader for fossil fuels. He is not involved in daily operations. He is not a member of the board of the company or the board of the portfolio company. "

"Vice President Biden has signed a pledge not to take money from the leaders responsible for fossil fuels. He sticks to that and he did not rape her, "continued Sanders.

Goldman, co-founder of the company, is the second person on the Western LNG leadership page. His description on the site indicates that he helped to "launch" the company. Goldman also works as investment director of Hildred Capital Partners. Hildred's website states that "the company's investment capital currently includes investments in regional banks, real estate, energy and a broad range of companies in the industry. health, including services, technologies, information technology and pharmaceutical activities. "

Money in politics has already become a big problem in the 2020 race, Sanders and Warren telling voters that they are no longer influenced by millionaires and billionaires because they do not do fundraisers costly.

This argument could be more difficult for Biden after this exchange.

Update: This message was updated with Anderson Cooper's clarification on the role of Andrew Goldman in Western LNG and a statement by Sunrise Movement co-founder Varshini Prakash.