U.S launches criminal investigation into oil spill

The U.S. government has launched a formal criminal and civil investigation into the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday.

Holder said during a trip to New Orleans that the government was reviewing whether BP and federal regulators had violated federal laws in the lead-up to the explosion of a BP-leased rig in April, which triggered the massive, ongoing oil spill.

"We will make certain that those responsible clean up the mess they have made and restore or replace the natural resources lost or injured in this tragedy," Holder said in his remarks. "And we will prosecute to the full extent any violations of the law."

Holder delivered his remarks following a meeting in Louisiana with prosecutors from Gulf Coast regions, which have been affected by the aftermath of the ecological disaster.

"[A]s we have said all along, we must also ensure that anyone found responsible for this spill is held accountable," Holder said. "That means enforcing the appropriate civil — and if warranted, criminal — authorities to the full extent of the law."

A number of lawmakers in Congress had begun clamoring in recent weeks for a formal criminal probe into the spill. One Louisiana lawmaker, Rep. Charlie Melancon (D), suggested Tuesday that federal regulators had acted criminally in granting waivers from environmental law to BP for the rig it had leased.

President Barack Obama had also raised the prospect of criminal charges for BP earlier today after meeting with the co-chairman of the commission he'd appointed to investigate the accident.

"If our laws were broken, leading to this death and destruction, my solemn pledge is that we will bring those responsible to justice on behalf of the victims of this catastrophe and the people of the Gulf region," the president said.

Holder said that Justice Department attorneys were investigating violations to the Clean Water Act, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Endangered Species Act and other criminal statutes.

Many of those laws carry both civil and criminal penalties.

"If we find evidence of illegal behavior, we will be forceful in our response. We have already instructed all relevant parties to preserve any documents that may shed light on the facts surrounding this disaster," said the attorney general. "As our review expands in the days ahead, we will be meticulous, we will be comprehensive, and we will be aggressive. We will not rest until justice is done."

Cross-posted from the Briefing Room.