Payette, Idaho — “I’ll do whatever I want” and “fuck you” were the responses from one of the nation’s top oil and gas industry attorneys when asked not to touch a news camera.
The incident occurred in the hallway of the Payette County Courthouse in Payette, Idaho, following a meeting of the county commissioners on November 17, 2014.
After EnviroNews Editor-in-Chief Emerson Urry began videotaping a conversation between Joe Morton, of Emmett, and industry attorney John Peiserich, the Vice President and general counsel of Alta Mesa Idaho, things got ugly quickly.
“I proceeded to start rolling tape again, and as soon as I did [Peiserich] stopped his conversation immediately, came straight toward me, put his hands all over our camera gear and tried to close the matte box, and then proceeded to grab me by my arm and try to manhandle me,” Urry said.
Urry is heard in the video asking Peiserich not to touch the equipment, but that doesn’t stop the oil and gas representative.
He barks back, “I’ll do whatever I want.”
The 10 or so people standing around witnessing this interaction are heard saying, “No you can’t.”
Peiserich is then heard saying, “fuck you.”
Citizens in the hall come between Peiserich and Urry, but the attorney again grabs the reporter’s camera as Urry walks toward the exit.
Witness Bob Knott, of New Plymouth, said Peiserich had no right to push anyone around and that’s why he got in between Urry and the gas lawyer.
He thinks the display of aggression represents a change of attitude by the industry in general, and not for the better.
Knott said gas and oil representatives have always been “cocky” about their plans to extract gas in southwest Idaho, but now they are “pushing and shoving and mad as hell for some reason.”
In addition to trying to stop Peiserich, Knott filed a police report about what he saw.
“The guy should be held accountable for his actions,” Knott said.
Fellow witness Joe Morton also filed a police report. After seeing Peiserich at various state and local government meetings for several years, Morton was surprised to see the attorney and one-time Halliburton lobbyist get physical with the reporter.
“I saw John Peiserich in a mode I’ve never seen before,” Morton said during a phone interview Monday. “It was quite surprising.”
The Payette Police Department is investigating the alleged assault.
Payette Police Chief Mark Clark told EnviroNews the investigation would include reviewing video of the encounter as well as the many oral and written statements provided to an officer who came to the scene.
Once that is complete, the police department will send its findings to the office of the county prosecuting attorney, who will make the decision whether or not charges will be filed against Peiserich.
“We’ll see if they’ll be willing to charge anybody,” Clark said.
In 2012, during the Idaho legislative session, Peiserich was a registered lobbyist for Halliburton, Inc., the oilfield services giant headquartered in Houston, Texas.
For several years, he has been a key figure in representing the industry as the state of Idaho and its county governments overhaul their oil and gas laws and regulations while the nascent industry gets on its feet.
In October, Peiserich was named Alta Mesa Idaho’s vice president and general counsel.
Alta Mesa Idaho is owned by parent company Alta Mesa Holdings, of Texas.
Alta Mesa Holdings is acquiring many thousands of acres of gas leases in southern Idaho and is involved in operations in the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas, as well as holding leases in Louisiana and Oklahoma.
Moody’s Investors Service currently rates Alta Mesa Holdings as “non-investment grade,” with a negative credit rating over the medium term.
Peiserich is also a partner in the Little Rock, Arkansas, law firm of Perkins, Peiserich, Greathouse, Morgan, Rankin.
Peiserich didn’t return attempts to contact him for comment, nor did Alta Mesa Holdings.
Urry said that instead of attempting to rough him up, Peiserich could have chosen to speak on video.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.