Chambliss subpoenaed over Imperial Sugar refinery explosion
Incumbent Republican berated company whistleblower after the tragedy.
The Savannah Morning News reports U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss — the incumbent Republican who’s facing an unexpectedly tough race against Democratic challenger Jim Martin — has been ordered to provide evidence for lawsuits stemming from the Imperial Sugar refinery explosion that killed 14 workers earlier this year.
The action surfaced less than two weeks before the Nov. 4 election, which pits Chambliss in a tight race against Democrat Jim Martin.
Savannah attorney Mark Tate says Chambliss might be part of an Imperial “effort to shift responsibility” away from the company.
Tate says he thinks Imperial enlisted Chambliss to help “denigrate the reputation” and “bias the Chatham County jury pool” against Graham H. Graham, Imperial Sugar’s vice president for operations.
Graham said at a July Senate hearing that the company stymied his efforts to make the plants safer.
At the hearing, Chambliss, who in 2007 received $1,000 from Imperial’s political committee, badgered Graham and questioned the Imperial executive’s sincerity.
To read more about Chambliss rushing to Imperial Sugar’s defense, click here. To read CL’s coverage of Georgia’s U.S. Senate race, click here.