Staff Reports
The Justice Department has come under fire for its cozy settlement with Boeing over the tragic 737 Max crashes that claimed the lives of 346 individuals between 2018 and 2019. This so-called “strong and significant” resolution has left many scratching their heads, particularly the families of the victims, who are left feeling that justice has been traded for a corporate slap on the wrist. The Justice Department recently argued that the agreement is not just fair but also serves some nebulous notion of the “public interest,” as if satisfying a corporate giant’s legal woes somehow helps the taxpayers’ bottom line.
Boeing will plead guilty to charges and cough up a hefty $243.6 million fine, along with another $455 million for tweaking its compliance and safety programs, which seems more like a corporate budget adjustment than a serious conviction for causing death. Families of the victims have labeled the deal as treating Boeing’s catastrophic failings as merely another corporate compliance problem, an assertion that hits the nail on the head for those who view this deal through a lens of accountability.
DOJ Backs Boeing Plea Deal Despite Opposition from Victims' Families https://t.co/ipdjGNylvo #OAN
— One America News (@OANN) August 16, 2024
Defense of this lenient deal comes from the government’s assertion of limited evidence, as if the bodies piled up in the aftermath of these crashes represent mere collateral damage in a high-stakes corporate game. The Justice Department maintains that they can’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Boeing’s missteps directly caused the fatalities, essentially saying, “Sorry, folks, but we can’t put the blame squarely on the bad guys.” This raises an eyebrow: if something so serious only warrants a plea deal, what does that say about the DOJ’s willingness to hold powerful interests accountable?
They also claim that the plea deal requires Boeing’s Board of Directors to meet with the families of the victims, as though a meeting over coffee could somehow rectify the grief and loss experienced by those left behind. The notion that bureaucrats and corporate lawyers think they can appease grieving families with an obligatory sit-down is a classic example of tone-deaf governance. It’s hard to swallow what the DOJ calls respect for victims while simultaneously undermining their painful quest for justice with a sellout agreement.
All this demonstrates the ongoing saga of corporate accountability, where the big fish seem to swim away relatively unscathed while the small ones suffer the repercussions. In a world where accountability appears to be governed by the size of the corporation and its political connections, it’s increasingly difficult for conservatives to maintain faith in a legal system that looks more like a corporate playground than a true arbiter of justice. The Justice Department’s decision could very well be one more reminder of just how tilted the scales can be when it comes to justice for anyone other than the corporate elite.
