White House Statement Copied an Entire Paragraph From an Exxon Mobil Press Release The White House statement included minor deviations from the original, such as changing 'U.S.' to 'United States.'

By Mark Abadi

entrepreneur daily

This story originally appeared on Business Insider

Christopher Halloran | Shutterstock

A White House statement congratulating Exxon Mobil on a new expansion copied more than an entire paragraph directly from the oil giant's press release, a reporter found on Monday.

The Exxon Mobil release, published at 3:10 p.m. ET, touted the company's plan to invest $20 billion over 10 years while creating 45,000 jobs.

Thirty-four minutes later, the White House posted its own statement featuring similar language.

First discovered by Washington Post reporter Christopher Ingraham, the similarities include an entire paragraph copied nearly word for word and another sentence the White House lifted nearly verbatim.

The White House statement included minor deviations from the original, such as changing "U.S." to "United States."

Read the sections in question for yourself. Here's Exxon Mobil's:

"ExxonMobil is strategically investing in new refining and chemical-manufacturing projects in the U.S. Gulf Coast region to expand its manufacturing and export capacity. The company's Growing the Gulf expansion program, consists of 11 major chemical, refining, lubricant and liquefied natural gas projects at proposed new and existing facilities along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Investments began in 2013 and are expected to continue through at least 2022."

Followed by the White House's:

"Exxon Mobil is strategically investing in new refining and chemical-manufacturing projects in the United States Gulf Coast region to expand its manufacturing and export capacity. The company's Growing the Gulf program consists of 11 major chemical, refining, lubricant and liquefied natural gas projects at proposed new and existing facilities along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Investments began in 2013 and are expected to continue through at least 2022."

The other sentence that appeared in both statements was a quote from Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods. In his company's release, he's quoted as saying: "And these jobs will have a multiplier effect, creating many more jobs in the communities that service these new investments."

The White House release said: "These jobs will have a multiplier effect, creating many more jobs in the community that service these new investments." The line was not written in quotation marks and did not attribute the quote to Woods.

Journalists were quick to note President Donald Trump's close ties to Exxon Mobil, whose former CEO Rex Tillerson was confirmed as secretary of state last month.

Others compared it to accusations of plagiarism that have caused embarrassment for members of Trump's team and people once nominated for Cabinet positions, including Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt, first lady Melania Trump and Monica Crowley, who Trump picked for the National Security Council. Crowley later bowed out.

Copying and pasting aside, the White House's choice to take credit for the Exxon Mobil expansion left some people scratching their heads. As The Washington Post pointed out, Exxon Mobil launched the investment plan back in 2013, long before Trump ran for office.

Mark Abadi

Reporter

Mark Abadi is a reporter for Business Insider's news team. Before joining Business Insider, he completed a two-year Fulbright grant in Malaysia. He has also written for The Daily Tar Heel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and The Skagway News in Skagway, Alaska.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Thought Leaders

How Gangster Al Capone Inspired the Launch of a Family-Run Company That Has Thrived for 95 Years

Marty Ozinga, the fourth-generation CEO of Ozinga, explains the legacy and future of the powerhouse construction materials company.

Marketing

4 Ways AI Is Revolutionizing Targeted Advertising — And How to Balance It's Ethical Implications

AI-powered targeted advertising revolutionizes marketing with hyper-personalized promotions. However, ethical and transparency questions hover over this progress.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business Solutions

Host Your Website with iBrave — $90 for Life Through March 24

iBrave is an advanced cloud web hosting platform.

Health & Wellness

Stress Buster: Leverage the Benefits of Non-Clinical Art Therapy with This $40 App

Therapeutic, art-based exercises utilize hundreds of original works of art to add a blend of positive benefits to the experience.