Chamber of Commerce Says Statement Announcing Support for Climate Bill a Hoax

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday said that a press release declaring the group had dropped its opposition to climate change legislation was a hoax.

The fake press release, which declared the Chamber had done an "about-face on climate policy" following the defection of prominent members, was briefly picked up by Reuters and several other media organizations.

But the Chamber sent out a counter-release setting the record straight.

"Public relations hoaxes undermine the genuine effort to find solutions on the challenge of climate change," spokesman Thomas Collamore said. "These irresponsible tactics are a foolish distraction from the serious effort by our nation to reduce greenhouse gases."

He said the group would call for law enforcement to investigate.

But Politico.com reported that the liberal activist group The Yes Men took responsibility for the hoax -- apparently part of a broader effort to undermine the Chamber in its opposition to cap-and-trade legislation and other Obama administration priorities.

Politico.com reported Monday that Democrats in Congress and the White House are doing an end run around the Chamber of Commerce to weaken their political influence by dealing directly with individual CEOs.

White House adviser Valerie Jarrett told Politico.com that the officials "prefer the approach," because it allows them to deal with people "on the front lines, running businesses."

But the Chamber accused the White House of a divide-and-conquer strategy.

Collamore said in his statement Monday that the Chamber would continue to "seek opportunities" to engage in the discussion about climate change policy, and that "the U.S. Chamber believes that strong climate legislation is compatible with the goals of improving our economy and creating jobs."