Over the past two weeks, David Rose has tried his hardest to keep the air in his “blowfish” attack on Tom Karl’s pausebuster study, with two follow-up stories on the 11th and the 18th. But ever since Rose’s source, NOAA scientist John Bates, told the AP that there was "no data tampering, no data changing, nothing malicious,” no one without an agenda has taken the dissected and debunked tabloid tall tale seriously.
Lamar Smith, however, has used it as an excuse to revive his inquisition and has again subpoenaed NOAA for communications related to the study. Whether the agency will comply with this harassment now that the Trump administration is in power remains to be seen.
Not content to use his power on scientists only, Smith has also re-issued subpoenas against the New York and Massachusetts Attorneys General and some specific NGO staffers they had contact with regarding the #ExxonKnew investigations.
The response to these have been clear. Smith’s colleague on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, ranking member Eddie Bernice Johnson, called the effort “symbolic of the Majority’s anti-science agenda and their efforts to shield oil, gas, and mining interests, such as ExxonMobil, from legitimate oversight and public accountability. The Chairman’s continued war on science will not stop climate change and it will not silence climate scientists, whether they are in the private sector or working in federal agencies.”
The Massachusetts AG office struck a similar tone in their refusal, seconding Rep. Johnson’s suggestion that “the chairman to find something more productive to do.”
Here are some suggestions. Perhaps Smith could look into the email practices of new EPA Admin Scott Pruitt, who appears to have used a person email address as OK AG? Something he denied doing, under oath?
Or maybe, as Rep. Johnson and other members of the committee suggest, given last year’s fascination with Hillary Clinton’s emails and the last administration’s cybersecurity practice, the committee should look into President Trump’s continued use of an unsecured android and other careless cybersecurity practices?
Hmm, no, he’d only take those things seriously if they were published in the National Inquirer...
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