Documents reveal congressional safety concerns prior to BP disaster

Long before the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, officials in Congress were concerned about the “cozy” relationship between federal regulators and the oil industry and the failure of regulators to spend funds on safety measures, according to documents recently acquired by The New York Times. The documents were acquired through the Freedom of Information Act, and include emails between Congressional officials and the Minerals Management Service. Was the M.M.S. “stonewalling” all along? And how will Gulf residents take the news?

Joining us to talk about the batch of 5,400 documents is New York Times reporter Eric Lichtblau, as well as Kerry Seaton-Stewart, owner of the famous Willie Mae’s Scotch House restaurant, in New Orleans.