The Trump Administration, and the GOP in general is so bad that it’s hard to focus. But this is really deplorable. EPA employees, dedicated to helping save our environment — and the people of America — and protect us from the ravages of industry, climate change and manifold sources of pollution that harms us — are under attack both from the administration and from Republican and industrial PACS that file FOIA suits for information on employees who’ve been “caught” defending the environment.
I can’t even.
Words don’t begin to describe how bad this is. It’s intimidation, but it’s also carrying the insane Pruitt regime a step further — not content to sabotage the agency from within on behalf of the polluters private citizens are now assisting the assault.
From the New York Times,
WASHINGTON — One Environmental Protection Agency employee spoke up at a private lunch held near the agency headquarters, saying she feared the nation might be headed toward an “environmental catastrophe.” Another staff member, from Seattle, sent a letter to Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. administrator, raising similar concerns about the direction of the agency. A third, from Philadelphia, went to a rally where he protested against agency budget cuts.
Three different agency employees, in different jobs, from three different cities, but each encountered a similar outcome: Federal records show that within a matter of days, requests were submitted for copies of emails written by them that mentioned either Mr. Pruitt or President Trump, or any communication with Democrats in Congress that might have been critical of the agency.
The requests came from a Virginia-based lawyer working with America Rising, a Republican campaign research group that specializes in helping party candidates and conservative groups find damaging information on political rivals, and which, in this case, was looking for information that could undermine employees who had criticized the E.P.A.
Now a company affiliated with America Rising, named Definers Public Affairs, has been hired by the E.P.A. to provide “media monitoring,” in a move the agency said was intended to keep better track of newspaper and video stories about E.P.A. operations nationwide.
In other words, for simply expressing an opinion — very likely the truth — EPA employees find themselves under a microscope. Private communications between employees can be opened via FOIA requests — it’s the EMAILZ on steroids, this time the witch hunt isn’t Hillary but dedicated public servants who are doing their jobs.
I honestly don’t know how long this country is going to remain free and prosperous under this kind of assault.
Richard Nixon — NIXON — founded the EPA and now these dictatorial creeps are trying to dismantle it and harass its employees.
I think this is worthy of some letters and phone calls to Congress don’t you? I know we’ve all got a lot on our plates, since Trump/Putin are determined to dismantle our beautiful country as rapidly as possible; but the EPA is sacred in my book. Our air, land, water, environment cannot be replaced and these destructive mo-fo’s have got to be made accountable for their miserable, thuggish behavior.
And, I find it hard to believe that this is the goal of FOIA — witch hunts. Freedom of Information Act should help Americans keep government accountable not destroy hard working public servants who are trying to help the people.
Turning everything good and noble back against itself and destroying its purpose is truly perverse.
It would be nice if there were any decent Republicans in Congress to help us but there really aren’t. So we’ll have to do this ourselves.
But the country is worth it. So please — tell people about this. Try to get Congress to pay attention; put it on Facebook, on Twitter.
And, people shouldn’t be intimidated for doing their jobs, for expressing opinions in a free society. I find that absolutely outrageous. It’s the definition of harassment.
I can’t believe there isn’t some criminality in this behavior.
www.nytimes.com/...