I have an update on yesterday’s posting. There I was outlining the latest bit of climate denial disinformation. Under the banner of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Trump appointee to NOAA, climate denier David Legates, had published a set of nine essays by well-known climate deniers.
My posting summed it up as follows …
Climate Denial: Grotesque disinformation & pseudoscience
It was all nonsense. Basically the usual debunked climate denialism, nothing new at all. The jaw-dropping bit was the unauthorised use of the OSTP seal. When contacted, OSTP explained “Not authorised by us”.
The update is this. The leadership at OSTP were rather ticked off and so there are now consequences (as reported by the Washington Post)…
… David Legates and Ryan Maue, senior officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who were appointed by President Trump…
…But they were never approved by Kelvin Droegemeier, the director of the office…
…“Dr. Droegemeier was outraged to learn of the materials that were not shared with or approved by OSTP leadership,” OSTP spokeswoman Kristina Baum said in an email Tuesday afternoon. “He first became aware of the documents when contacted by the press. As a result, Dr. Droegemeier took swift action and the individuals responsible have been relieved of their duties at OSTP.”…
…Holdren, the former OSTP director, wrote that the papers’ appearance under the banner of the Executive Office of the President and the OSTP without authorization was “not merely outrageous but, apparently, illegal.”…
...U.S. Code states: “Whoever fraudulently or wrongfully affixes or impresses the seal of any department or agency of the United States … shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.”…
Key Point: The entire saga spotlights the complete lack of honesty and scientific integrity that these guys operate with.
I guess they wanted to shove all if it into the official Trump Administration records, but this blatant dishonesty was a step too far.