ABC “World News Sunday” bashed Halliburton on March 11, this time for deciding to move its corporate headquarters to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The report accused the company on many levels but allowed just one short response to the charges.
Anchor Dan Harris mentioned the announcement and then introduced the story with criticism: “Critics say Halliburton, which has received billions of American taxpayer dollars for its work on the war in Iraq, is now looking for a tax break.”
Reporter Sonya Crawford told the audience that “Democrats have been extremely critical of Halliburton,” and included an attack on the company’s decision from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) that lasted 16 seconds. Crawford did not mention any potential connection between government criticism and Halliburton’s decision to move out of the United States.
Halliburton CEO David Lesar’s statement was only nine seconds long. Lesar said, “Growing our business here will bring more balance to Halliburton’s overall portfolio.”
Immediately following those words, Crawford snarked, “More balance and thanks to a friendly tax environment, hopefully more profits.’
The hit job concluded with a lengthy voiceover by Crawford including what she termed Halliburton’s “low points:” “serving the troops spoiled food, exposing troops to contaminated water from the Euphrates River, and failing to adequately protect its contractors.”
Taking one last shot against the defense contractor, Crawford fired, “And last month the Inspector General for Iraq found Halliburton overcharged the government $2.7 billion which Halliburton is still contesting.”