 In May 2008 , several issues came to the fore that damaged the credibility of Burger King and its position on the topic . Steven Grover was found to be trolling websites that have posted pro @-@ CIW positions and opinions ; under an assumed screen name , Grover posted several comments disparaging the ethics and honesty of the leadership of the group . Besides the trolling incident , Grover was tied to several terse , stridently worded e @-@ mails sent from a possibly fictitious employee name at the BK global headquarters in Miami to supporters and media groups ; the company labeled these communications as unsanctioned and not reflecting official corporate positions . Additionally , Burger King was found to have hired an outside security company , Pembroke Pines , Florida based Diplomatic Tactical Services , to infiltrate the CIW and its supporting groups and spy on their members . After these issues came to light , BK terminated Grover and company spokesman Keva Silversmith , as well as its relationship with Diplomatic Tactical Services . Critics of the personnel action , such as PR Watch editor Sheldon Rampton , noted that it appeared that the two terminated employees were being made scapegoats by the company . Rampton went on to note that Silversmith had been , up to a few weeks before the story came to light , employed by the PR firm Edelman , which had been contracted by company parent Burger King Brands to provide PR services ; Edelman has employed tactics on the behalf of its other clients , Wal @-@ Mart and Microsoft , which Rampton and his organization termed " sleazy " . Sen. Sanders agreed with Rampton 's claim of scapegoating , and called for hearings into the incidents to investigate the company 's behaviors to see if other Burger King officers had instigated the attacks on the labor group as company policy . Sanders stated that he wished to " make sure that we find out how high up the corporate ladder this scheme went " . 
