>> Joe Biden got some hard questions at the climate town hall including this.
>> How can we trust you to hold these corporations and executives accountable for their crimes
against humanity when we know that tomorrow you are holding a high dollar fund raiser
hosted by Andrew Goldman, a fossil fuel executive?
>> He's not a fossil fuel executive.
He is not a fossil fuel executive.
And the fact of the matter is that what we talk about is, what are we going to do about
those corporations?
What have we done?
And everywhere along the way, for example, I've argued and pushed for us suing those
executives who were engaged in pollution.
>> What Andrew is saying is if you're going to a fundraiser that's given in part by this
guy who has a company that is pulling up natural gas.
Are you the right guy to go after this?
>> Well, I didn't realize he does that.
I was told, if you look at the SEC filings, he's not listed as one of those executives.
That's what we look at the SEC filings.
Who are those executives?
I've kept that pledge, period.
>> So is that, are you gonna look at that fundraiser tomorrow night?
>> I'm gonna look at what you just told me and find out if that's accurate, yes.
>> Okay, I think it's pretty accurate.
>> Anderson Cooper with a little bit of spice there.
Yes, it's pretty accurate and that was, like if that was Bernie Sanders, it would be describe
in the headlines as Bernie oddly combative after question.
That was him dismissively saying, yes I'm keeping to the pledge, but not if you actually
care about the content of the pledge.
Because the individual that they talk about there, Andrew Goldman, yes, he is not technically,
by the strictest definition, a CEO or an executive of a fossil fuel company.
But he co-founded a company that starts facilities that do natural gas production.
That's a higher level, that creates new executives for that field.
That is spawning those corporations that we have a problem with.
So to say that we shouldn't be worried about him, it's not just dishonest, but that's inverting
reality in a very real way.
>> Yeah, absolutely, it really kind of speaks to almost the things we've already been experiencing
with this current administration in terms of stretching the truth and sometimes even
just giving us blatant lies.
And so if Biden's platform is going to be distinguishable and different from Trump,
it would be great if he actually kind of put that forth.
As opposed to situations like this when he claims that this gentleman who co-founded
Western LNG, and was also his advisor, when he served in the Senate, is not at all involved
in fossil fuels.
Come on.
>> You have to show that you have at least some kind of understanding of the reason why
people want you to do this.
The question was directs, he goes how can we expect you to hold these types of companies
accountable if you're gonna be going to their fundraisers.
You understand why people ask that question.
You've been doing this for a while.
So if you're gonna continue to go and say technically, he's not really on the board
anymore, so therefore, I'm technically holding on to the pledge.
That doesn't mean anything.
Nobody's talking about technicalities and you're not a lawyer trying to get by on some
kind of scheme to get your client off.
You're trying to run for president.
So if you need to show constituents that you understand that they're against you continuing
to kowtow to these type of companies.
You need to say I didn't know that, I'm going to avoid that.
Now people may get mad and say, how are you going to cut out a large section of voting
block by oil companies?
They'll be okay, because in the past, what we've done is we've ignored constituents that
have a problem with what these companies do.
You've avoided them this whole time, you've ignored them the whole time.
So if you're willing to do that in those circumstances you should be able to do it another way.
>> I think you said there, correct me if I'm wrong, that he's been around for a while so
he gets why.
I wonder though, if Anderson Cooper had follow-up question, why don't they want you to take
money from these executives, people who have a vested interest in fossil fuel extraction?
Would he actually be able to answer it?
Either could he or would he actually do it?
Because to answer that, honestly, a full answer, because we fear that those sorts of people
will have an influence over you.
The money that they give you now is an investment on affecting your policy directives when you
get in office.
To admit that is to admit that all of your campaign finance should be put under a magnifying
glass.
And I don't know if he would actually do that or if he even could do that, if he really
gets why we think it's a problem.
Because his answer that he's not technically an executive implies that he doesn't get it.
That guy creates, he cofounded a company that creates facilities that exploit natural gas.
If that sort of person is your advisor, if he's raising money for you, and you say you're
going to do something about fracking.
Now, I don't think he's one of the ones that says he's going to ban it.
But he says more regulations.
Why would we believe that?
Why would these people be pumping money into your campaign if you're going to shut them
down?
That would be madness.
And I don't think that they're mad.
I think that they're savvy with who they donate to.
And so for you to continue to accept that money implies to me that you don't take it
seriously whatsoever.
And the vague promises you make about your potential climate platform should not be taken
at face value.
>> Absolutely, it does convey that he is, essentially, disingenuous.
And we are able to see this largely by actions as opposed to his words.
And his words in terms of feeding ignorance, we can see right through that to begin with,
claiming I didn't know what this gentleman did, or I don't necessarily know his title.
Come on, you should know better, especially when this man was your advisor when you were
in the Senate.
And so again, actions versus words.
And it just makes me realize how much more we are going to get more of Trump.
>> And by the way, I guess I've sort of buried the lead.
I mean, we're talking about stuff coming from the climate town hall.
And so time has come and gone, he did go to that fundraiser.
He ended up doing it.
He did the fact checking, he said he would Anderson Cooper, and you know what, he's okay,
stamp of approval.
Biden is going to go there.
But he said this and this is just a great quote.
So he said, at the fundraiser, I just want to be very clear to everyone here that I am
committed to not raising money from fossil fuel executives and I'm not doing that here.
And all the people who are just taking every bit of energy out of the ground and burning
it up and ruining our climate.
They're like, that's a great point.
Joe, you're the best.
Here's some more money.
>> Well, you missed the second half of that quote.
He said, because I'm taking all the money that was raised at this fundraiser, and I'm
giving it to clean up operations in certain cities, there's cities and states all over
the country, that have to deal with contaminated pipes, not just Flint.
So pipes that are destroying people's lives and pumping through different kinds of contaminants
into the system.
He's giving that money to them.
That's what he's raising money from fossil fuels company for, am I right, did I miss
that part of the quote?
>> Sure, sure.
>> I don't think that's what it is.
>> Because he said he's not doing it as he's doing it so he must not really be doing it.
>> So look, I obviously was not for, I'm not involved in the creation of this pledge.
I've talked about it on my shows.
So why don't we turn to the people who actually put together this pledge to see whether or
not they accept his explanation.
Well, we have a comment from David Turnbull spokesman for Oil Change US.
This is one of the organizations that helped to organize that pledge that he swears he's
still abiding by.
That spokesman said, while it may not technically violate the pledge, it clearly goes against
its spirit.
We defined the pledge's rule to make it simple for candidates to commit to and follow, not
to provide loopholes to continue raising funds from fossil fuel-adjacent sources.
And so look, we might all disagree on exactly where you should draw the line.
Should they be going through every donation no matter how small to find out what industry
that person worked for?
So if somebody makes $50,000 a year working at an oil field, should you accept money from
them?
We can sort of disagree about that.
But this isn't a donation, this isn't a single thinng.
This is a wealthy, influential person that you have a past with that you definitely know
about.
Don't pretend you have no clue what business they're in.
Who is organizing a fundraiser for you.
And maybe it's crazy, but I have this sneaking suspicion that when he's choosing who to bring
to this fundraiser for Biden, some of them might be in the oil game, maybe.
>> Perhaps.
>> Anyway, look he got through this first town hall, I guess.
There's been some criticism so far.
It hasn't really stuck, in part because it was a climate town hall.
So nobody watches because the potential death of our civilization isn't a big ratings booster.
But there are gonna be other town halls.
And there are gonna be debates where these questions are gonna be brought up.
And I hope that his continued noncompliance with this, if he keeps doing fundraisers like
this, becomes a problem for him.
Because it's not an issue we can afford to just let him skate by on.
>> Absolutely.