'It would mean everything': Boeing whistleblower lauds prosecutors for urging charges
Federal prosecutors have reportedly recommended criminal charges against the aircraft manufacturer Boeing for mismanaging safety features that led to the deadly crashes of two 737 MAX jets, killing hundreds of people, and a whistleblower called it an encouraging sign.
"I guess my first reaction is that's encouraging, very encouraging news, but quite honestly, I'm reluctant to get my hopes up right now," Ed Pierson told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Monday.
"Why is that?" asked Blitzer.
"Well it was a recommendation, right?" said Pierson. "So the attorney general, Merrick Garland, I guess will have the final say. I just hope that he really considers what's best for the public. It's not just that these families deserve justice, but if you don't hold Boeing accountable, they're going to continue to do their criminal behavior and that's not good for aviation safety."
"If the attorney general and the Justice Department does — if they do pursue this, what kind of impact would that have on Boeing if it's formerly criminally charged and ultimately convicted?" asked Blitzer.
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"That's a great question," said Pierson. "I think some people will automatically say, oh, well, Boeing will not be able to get contracts because they're a felon. I think Congress would probably run out and do whatever they have to do to pass an exemption to allow that. And I don't really understand why they can pursue prosecution anyhow, because we're really talking about individuals — individuals that made conscious decisions. Those are the ones that need to be held accountable. And I think that that can be done without really harming the company. It's going to help the company. I mean, something that's way more dangerous than a trial is another disaster, preventable disaster."
"What could this mean for the families of people who died on those Boeing planes?" Blitzer asked.
"Wolf, it would mean everything to those individuals," said Pierson. "Those individuals have been ... forever harmed and they're the ones out here fighting the hardest to get justice and accountability because they want the truth. It would mean everything to them. We talk to them every day and it just breaks their heart — they keep fighting ... every other month there's a new revelation of a criminal — something that was done that should have, should never have happened. I think it would just be an amazing vindication to them."
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