Trump Team Disavows Demand For Names Of Climate Scientists

"The Trump transition team appeared to back away from a controversial questionnaire sent to the Energy Department last week that had asked for the names of department staffers who had worked on several climate-change initiatives under President Obama.

'The questionnaire was not authorized or part of our standard protocol,' Trump’s transition team said in a statement to The Washington Post. 'The person who sent it has been properly counseled.'

The disavowal marked one of the earliest apparent instances of the Trump transition team changing course and seeming to acknowledge a mistake, although even that is unclear. Also Wednesday, Trump transition adviser Anthony Scaramucci had appeared to defend the inquiry on CNN’s 'New Day' with Chris Cuomo, saying, 'This is an intellectual-curiosity expedition.'"

Chris Mooney and Juliet Eilperin report for the Washington Post December 14, 2016.

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"Trump Team Disavows Survey Seeking Names Of Climate Workers" (Reuters)