On Tuesday, a new Boeing whistleblower made damning claims about the aerospace company during testimony before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
New Boeing Whistleblower Makes Damning Claims About the Company
During Tuesday’s hearing, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) confronted Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun about his massive salary and what his actual job entails.
What exactly are you paid to do? Are you paid for transparency? If safety is a part of your nearly $33 million salary package, how do you qualify for any of it?
WATCH:
Boeing’s planes are falling out of the sky in pieces – but the CEO makes $33 million. A year. What exactly is he getting paid to do? The answer: strip mine Boeing for corporate profit pic.twitter.com/i16GOPNm6L
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) June 18, 2024
Hawley did not hold back and demanded accountability from the CEO. He bluntly asked Calhoun, “Why haven’t you resigned?”
Calhoun responded, saying: “I’m sticking this through. I’m proud of every action we have taken.”
The audience at the hearing included the relatives of the victims of the Indonesia and Ethiopia crashes, as well as the family of John Barnett, the whistleblower whose death was ruled a suicide.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun apologizes to the families of the victims of Boeing crashes before his opening remarks at a Senate hearing. #Boeing #US
Read more: https://t.co/cuqIuANbdz pic.twitter.com/vSkEDXTgpC
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) June 19, 2024
Hawley also spoke about the treatment of the whistleblowers.
“We have had multiple whistleblowers allege you have cut every corner with respect to safety. I think the truth is you are not focused on transparency — you were focusing on exactly what you were hired to do. … You are strip-mining [Boeing] for profits.”
During the second round of questioning, Hawley mentioned that, for decades, Boeing shipped jobs overseas from the United States.
“Do you think the fact that you are hollowing out the company could be a factor in your airplanes falling out of the sky?” Hawley asked. “I don’t think the problem is with the employees; I think the problem is you. I hope to God you don’t destroy this company before it is too late.”
It was good to see Congress working together on this issue and searching for answers to keep people who travel using Boeing airplanes safe.
LIVE: My subcommittee hears testimony from Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun. Boeing’s broken safety culture continues to prioritize profits, push limits, & disregards its workers. This is a culture that desperately needs to be repaired. https://t.co/Xm2WMiZz3i
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) June 18, 2024
The U.S. Justice Department states in a court filing that Boeing could be criminally charged. Paul Cassell, a lawyer representing families in the Ethiopia crash, said it is “a positive first step, and for the families, a long time coming. But we need to see further action from DOJ to hold Boeing accountable.”
Whether the DOJ will charge Boeing or let them off scot-free remains to be seen, but the company’s ongoing problems must end to keep the people safe.
