This is the question of the century. Maybe decades from now, there will be a book, then a movie. My only guess is that they have something dirty on our politicians. Something so egregious that they are willing to sacrifice almost everything to keep it quiet.
Its so convenient. Just take your tax refund from the taxpayer, buy your stock back, exercise (cash in) your stock options that were given to you by the company and deposit the money into your bank account. Who needs consumers?