Peanut Exec Invokes the Fifth

Listening to radio news while driving my car today, I heard the President of Peanut Corporation of America, Stewart Parnell, invoke the Fifth Amendment, and refuse to answer questions from members of Congress about the massive peanut salmonella poisoning at his company … and, I nearly drove off the road!

Salmonella contamination of peanuts has been traced to a Peanut Corporation plant in Blakely, Georgia. The outbreak continues to spread, and has sicken at least 600 people, more than half of them children, and may have killed eight people.

With such overwhelming evidence against a major food company, why did Parnell choose to evoke the Fifth Amendment, and who advised him to do so? I do not have the answers, yet.

I can tell you that his actions today before Congress were not wise. What he said, in fact, was self-incriminating and downright foolish. He demonstrated no compassion, no sympathy for those who were sickened or may have died, and no concern.

Feds have his emails to employees, instructing them to ship contaminated peanuts. There are words for Parnell’s behavior … outrageous and arrogant.

We live in an era when leadership mandates more accountability, more openness and transparency, and more cooperation. Parnell’s behavior, on the other hand, likely will land him in court. What he said was irresponsible.

Reuters reports:

The president of the U.S. peanut company blamed for a salmonella outbreak refused to answer questions before Congress on Wednesday, while internal company messages showed him complaining about lost profits while the scare was investigated.

The contamination has forced one of the biggest food recalls in U.S. history, scared Americans away from one of their favorite foods and brought the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under intense scrutiny.

What Parnell did before Congress today will make this an even bigger story, and one that unquestionably will focus on his lack of action in favor of profits and greed.