News

Wilbur Ross Threatened To Fire NOAA Workers Who Didn’t Support Trump’s False Claims About Hurricane Dorian

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross threatened to dismiss all workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who refused to disavow a tweet from a regional office that refuted President Donald Trump‘s false claim that Hurricane Dorian would likely affect Alabama.

According to The New York Times, Ross called Acting NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs to demand that the agency change the National Weather Service’s statement about Hurricane Dorian’s projected path. Jacobs refused and Ross reportedly responded by threatening mass firings. The NWS, which is based in Birmingham, said in a tweet last week that Alabama was not expected to be hit by the storm. Despite this, Trump presented a map in the Oval Office that had been clearly redrawn with a Sharpie marker to claim that the hurricane would strike the state. The gaffe generated dozens of online memes and mockery from the media, while reports began surfacing that several White House officials are concerned about the president’s mental state.

A spokesperson for the Commerce Department denied the Times’ story in a statement to CNN.

“The New York Times story is false,” the spokesperson told the network. “Secretary Ross did not threaten to fire any NOAA staff over forecasting and public statements about Hurricane Dorian.”

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

The report about Ross further reveals how far Trump administration officials will go to defend the president at all costs. It also follows a statement from a top NOAA official, Acting NOAA Chief Scientist Craig McLean, who vowed to investigate whether the agency violated its own ethics rules by supporting Trump’s tweets about Hurricane Dorian over assessments from experts.

Several lawmakers also said that if the Times’ story about Ross was factual, the commerce secretary should resign. Among them were Rep. Don Beyer (D-Virginia), a member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Connecticut) also said in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Monday that if correct, the story about Ross would be yet another example of White House officials striving to protect Trump on nearly any issue.

“If that story is true, I don’t know that it is, if it is true, the commerce secretary needs to resign now,” said Himes, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee. “That would be the most blatant use of an official position in the service of the ego and the political fortunes of the President that we have ever seen.”

 

Pablo Mena

Writer for upolitics.com. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

Share
Published by
Pablo Mena

Recent Posts

Elon Musk Wants To Privatize Post Service & Amtrak: ‘We Should Privatize Anything We Reasonably Can’

During a virtual appearance at a Morgan Stanley technology conference on Wednesday, Elon Musk criticized…

7 hours ago

VIDEO: Veteran Escorted Out Of GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards’ Town Hall For Protesting Trump’s Budget Cuts For Vets

https://youtu.be/8Ps9DIuo8Pg A man who identified himself as a veteran was escorted out Republican Rep. Chuck…

16 hours ago

VIDEO: Vice President JD Vance Booed At Kennedy Center Concert

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/x0Zmyug302w Vice President JD Vance was booed on March 13 as he took his seat…

17 hours ago

VIDEO: Jewish Protest Group Occupies Trump Tower In Support Of Palestinian Activist Mahmoud Khalil

https://youtu.be/Gx3360VdPTk Members of a Jewish-led protest group took over the lobby of Trump Tower in…

1 day ago

Trump Administration Withdraws Nomination Of Vaccine Skeptic Dave Weldon For Director Of CDC

The Trump Administration has withdrawn its nomination of Dave Weldon, a former Republican congressman and…

1 day ago

56% Of Americans Disapprove Of Trump’s Economic Policies, New Poll Shows

A new CNN poll reveals that a majority of respondents disapprove of President Donald Trump’s…

1 day ago