Coal exec’s image looms in deadly blast case

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Ex-coal baron Don Blankenship has fallen silent as he faces criminal charges in the deadliest U.S. coal mine disaster in four decades.

A gag order was issued shortly after Thursday’s indictment. It pauses the defiant PR campaign Blankenship has waged since the 2010 Upper Big Branch explosion. The Montcoal, West Virginia disaster killed 29 men.

Blankenship has blogged, tweeted, shot documentaries and taken TV interviews to deny wrongdoing and call himself a mine safety crusader. Those communications dropped Thursday.

He is accused of deliberately skirting safety laws, impeding federal enforcement officials and lying to the Securities Exchange Commission about safety practices, all to maximize profits. He could face up to 31 years in prison.

Victims’ families say listening to Blankenship deny responsibility was like pouring salt on an open wound.

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