Shell foresaw climate dangers in 1988 and understood Big Oil’s big role

[Jack Hays]

The coal and power companies have admitted that they hired a lobbying firm that sent the forged letters to congress.

A trade group representing coal producers and power companies says that it indirectly hired a lobbying firm that sent fake letters to lawmakers purporting to be from nonprofit groups opposed to climate-change legislation.

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/us/politics/05charity.html

Looks to me like the coal and power companies were innocent. It is the "dossier" headline that is the lie.

". . . The group, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, said in statement Monday that it was considering legal action against the lobbying firm.
On Tuesday, staff members across Capitol Hill combed through constituent mail in search of other fake letters. The search began after three members of Congress said they had received them.
A Washington lobbying firm, Bonner & Associates, has admitted sending the letters and said it had fired the person responsible. . . ."

 

[late]

Looks to me like the coal and power companies were innocent. It is the "dossier" headline that is the lie.

Or plausible deniability..

 

[Bergslagstroll]

Or plausible deniability..

Yes, the coal companies and energy companies either knowingly choose those PR firms because of their dirty tactics they used, or they could have done a lot better job choosing their PR firms. That it’s not believable to “accidently” send fraudulent letters to congress.