"A Late Burst of Climate Denial Extends the Era of Trump Disinformation"

"Two Trump administration officials have been reassigned over the posting of debunked papers, with the imprimatur of the White House, that questioned the scientific consensus on climate change."

"WASHINGTON — The White House science office on Tuesday reassigned two administration officials who posted a series of debunked scientific reports denying the existence and significance of man-made climate change, purportedly on behalf of the United States government.

The officials, David Legates, who served as the head of the United States Global Change Research Program, and Ryan Maue, a senior official at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, still remain employed, administration officials confirmed. Both had been assigned to the White House from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and have returned to that agency.

“The actions will be reviewed under the NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy, but we don’t discuss personnel matters,” Scott Smullen, an agency spokesman, said on Tuesday.

The two worked together to post the reports on a climate denial website without the knowledge of the director of the White House science office, Kelvin Droegemeier, two administration officials confirmed."

Lisa Friedman and Christopher Flavelle report for the New York Times January 12, 2021.

SEE ALSO:

"White House Fires 2 Climate Denialists" (E&E News)

"Trump Officials Reassigned By White House After Publishing Controversial Climate Papers Without Approval" (Washington Post)

Source: NYTimes, 01/13/2021