This thing has been hotly debated in the guitar forums and unfortunately the anti-Gibson side (invariably liberals) has come out on top, at least on the question of whether Gibson broke the law. It looks like Gibson did violate the Lacey Act and probably did so knowingly. The question of whether Gibson was targeted for political reasons is still out there, but without more solid evidence those who make the argument don’t have much to fire back with when they are dismissed as conspiracy theorists.
What’s funny is how arguing about Gibson is a direct proxy for arguing politics on musical instrument forums. After a big hot Gibson thread you pretty much know everyone’s politics.
Selective Enforcement and Targeted Waivers is the hallmark of this administration. They have lost all moral authority and respect for the “Rule of Law”.
At the time of the 2011, second, raid, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz had made exactly one political contribution to a Republican. You may confirm this at www.opensecrets.org.
At the time of that raid, Juszkiewicz was a founding member of the Rainforest Alliance, providing global warming educational materials to children and promoting programs to save the rainforest. Gibson (wholly owned by Juszkiewicz and David Berryman) was one of the first members of the Clinton Global Initiative. Clinton had hosted Gibson's 100th Anniversary party at the White House.
Juszkiewicz served as a presenter at MTV's Rock the Vote program at which Barack Obama was honored, and Bill Clinton received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Two weeks after the 2011 raid, Juszkiewicz attended a jobs program with Obama at the White House. Juszkiewicz was a member of the Environmental Defense Fund, and a director of the We Are Family Foundation, which promotes the benefits of diversity through programs for schools.
If Juszkiewicz had some private falling out with Obama, I don't know about it. I only know he's not the conservative hero conspiracy theorist paint him to be.
If they broke the law, why did the government return the wood to them?