Why doesn't Sarif discredit Picus?

Question

We're shown that everything Adam sees and hears is, or at least can be recorded various times in the story. Well, Adam saw some pretty incriminating stuff in Picus' secret offices; even if we assume he never saw any of the E-Mails in the computers in the level (which the dialogue does sometimes seem to suggest...) there's a room with a big screen built in to the wall depicting falsified news footage being rendered.

Since the source for the "supersoldier experiments" footage is Picus, and everyone at SI would presumably be interested in not being framed for what they're accused of, why doesn't anyone use the Adamcam's footage to damage Picus' reputation? They never even discuss the possibility.

They can't be concerned about the Illuminati knowing he was there, since he has to have left at least one corpse behind by the time he leaves anyway, and the enemies there talk about knowing Jensen is in the building. That's the only counterargument I can think of.

Answer 1

In universe, the best possibility is that Serif never found out. Either Tai Yong Medical or the Illuminati stopped the data from getting to Sarif, or removed it from Sarif Industries' systems before Sarif ever saw it.

Both organizations have a reason to do so: Picus is directly controlled by the Illuminati, while Tai Yong is already trying to do a takeover of Sarif Industries by this point. Both also have the capability to interfere with SI's network operations: we know the Illuminati control's Tai Yong, and Tai Yong hired the Dutchman who successfully infiltrated SI's network. It is probable that they still had access to SI's systems or could have gained access again by some other means.

There is no canon reason, however, for as you stated, the topic is never discussed.

Out of universe, there are a couple of possible reasons. One, it doesn't play to the script. To get to the events of the original Deus Ex, the Illuminati have to grow before Bob Page gets disaffected and takes over. If Picus was successfully exposed in 2027, it would have caused issues with the Illuminati's power base, delaying or making it impossible for the original game's events.

Two, The franchise in general often revolves around the protagonist knowing about conspiracies they are unable to directly prove. The reasons for this are beyond the scope of this answer, but exposing Picus would not be in line with that.