JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is perhaps best known in the news right now for his bank’s close ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Epstein’s sex-trafficking empire, but he’s also drawn criticism for his argument in a letter to shareholders in April in which he said the government should consider seizing private land to open up room for “renewables” and further climate change goals.
That comment got him savaged by conservative actor James Woods, who let fly on Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) with a not particularly veiled threat that Dimon better be ready to fight for land if he wants to seize it for any sort of goal.
As background, Dimon said in his April letter that governments should consider using eminent domain to seize land on which they can build solar farms or wind turbines. Eminent domain is the process by which the government takes land that the owner does not want to sell. Compensation is provided, but many see it as a terrible violation of property rights.
In any case, Dimon added that the timeline of the climate situation dictates the need for such drastic measures, saying, “The window for action to avert the costliest impacts of global climate change is closing.” He added that the “ongoing war in Ukraine is roiling trade relations across Europe and Asia and redefining the way countries and companies plan for energy security.”
Continuing on those points, he added, “The need to provide energy affordably and reliably for today, as well as make the necessary investments to decarbonize for tomorrow, underscores the inextricable links between economic growth, energy security and climate change. We need to do more, and we need to do so immediately.”
That’s when he got to the land seizure part of the letter. “At the same time, permitting reforms are desperately needed to allow investment to be done in any kind of timely way. We may even need to evoke [sic] eminent domain,” Dimon argued. Justifying the seizure of property, he said, “we simply are not getting the adequate investments fast enough for grid, solar, wind and pipeline initiatives.”
Then, concluding his letter, he said, “Polarization, paralysis and basic lack of analysis cannot keep us from addressing one of the most complex challenges of our time. Diverse stakeholders need to come together, seeking the best answers through engagement around our common interest.”
Well, Woods saw a headline about the April letter recently and fired off a comment of his own about the idea, writing on X, “You better come in heavy, champ.”
You better come in heavy, champ. pic.twitter.com/y0YWo184oW
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) September 19, 2023
Commenting on Woods’ post, one person said, “Thank you for helping me add another company to the list of those I will no longer do business with.” Replying to that comment, another said that Bank of America is equally terrible, writing, “Bank of America (and its contemptible CEO Brian Moynihan) is another.”
Another added that Dimon should focus on the Epstein situation rather than violating property rights, posting, “JP Morgan should worry more about their connections with Jeffrey Epstein than coming to seize our property. 😏”
Featured image credit: By _JamesWoods-2.jpg: Alan Lightderivative work: MrPanyGoff (talk) – _JamesWoods-2.jpg, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10672784
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