Biden insists he isn’t taking money from fossil fuel industry

September 6, 2019

Former Vice President Joe Biden addressed his decision to appear at a fundraiser co-hosted by the co-founder of a natural gas company, after an environmental activist asked during CNN’s climate change town hall Wednesday how he could accept support from a “fossil fuel” executive.

On Wednesday, Biden insisted that Andrew Goldman, the co-founder of Western LNG, is “not a fossil fuel executive.” Biden has signed a pledge not to take money from the fossil fuel industry. When a CNN anchor pressed Biden on the issue further that night, Biden said he didn’t think Goldman had any responsibilities related to the company.

At the fundraiser Thursday evening in New York City, Biden addressed the criticism surrounding the event and his attendance.

“Folks, I know there’s been a lot of tensions paid to your showing up tonight. More than I think you anticipated,” Biden said, according to a pool report.

Biden reiterated he won’t accept money from lobbyists, which his campaign says Goldman is not.

“I just want to be very clear to everyone here: I am committed to not raising money from fossil fuel executives and I am not doing that tonight,” Biden said. “Climate change presents an existential threat, and it is real … I’m so tired of having a president who picks fiction over science.”

— CBS News’ Bo Erickson contributed to this report