Representatives from Fender and Martin were on the same sourcing trip to Madagascar as Gibson employee Gene Nix. That's the trip where Nix reported to Gibson that Roger Thunam's wood was under government seizure and could not legally be purchased because it was new wood, clearly harvested after the 2006 ban.
Fender and Martin didn't buy any Madagascar ebony from Thunam. Gibson did.
It’s details like these that make defending Gibson difficult.