Why We Need to Protect Government Scientists from Political Retaliation

Though it seems like an eternity ago, it was only last month that President Trump presented a doctored hurricane forecast to back up his previous tweets that Alabama would likely be hit by Hurricane Dorian — a claim that National Weather Service’s (NWS) Birmingham office pointed out was inaccurate — an incident later labeled “Sharpiegate.” Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney reportedly asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to have the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) publicly disavow forecasters’ position that Alabama was not at risk.

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