Boeing CEO is beaten in the US Senate

On Tuesday, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun answered questions from the US Senate. Senators attacked him over the manufacturer’s safety record, completely silencing an apology to his relatives.

At a hearing Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Calhoun was repeatedly asked about his pay, firing and safety culture at Boeing. He will earn just under $33 million in 2023. That was about ten million more than the previous year. Republican Senator Josh Hawley asked the CEO why he did not resign sooner and accused him of making superficial reforms when he could be making millions. It was the first time Calhoun publicly answered questions from lawmakers since announcing his resignation.

At the beginning of the session, Calhoun stood and turned to the audience. This was filled with relatives of the victims who died during the two 737 MAX crashes. Show them repentance. “I would like to apologize on behalf of all Boeing employees, current and former, and around the world, for your losses. Those are terrible. I would also like to express my regret for the grief we have caused. However, these excuses have been overshadowed by the questions received by the CEO. In addition , the surviving relatives demanded a fine of approximately $25 million as well as criminal prosecution of the aircraft manufacturer.

Democratic Chairman Senator Richard Blumenthal described the hearing as a moment of reckoning for Boeing. In addition, he also believed that there was sufficient evidence for the prosecution to prosecute the aircraft manufacturer for the mistakes it had made. “As a federal prosecutor and former prosecutor, I believe the evidence is almost overwhelming to justify this prosecution,” Blumenthal said.

Prosecutors now have until July 7 to inform a judge in Texas of their plans.