ALARMING

Trump Officials Blocked Intelligence Staffer’s Climate Change Testimony: Report

The testimony was reportedly barred from a hearing because it didn’t “jibe” with the Trump administration’s stance.

White House officials reportedly blocked a State Department intelligence aide from submitting written testimony to the House Intelligence Committee on the dangers of climate change because some references in the document contradicted the Trump administration’s official stance on the matter. Senior administration officials cited by The Washington Post said Trump officials tried to cut several pages from the testimony because it did not “jibe” with the White House’s understanding of climate science. The 12-page testimony reportedly warned of how greenhouse gas emissions are raising temperatures across the globe and causing a surge in extreme weather. The intelligence aide trying to submit the testimony, Rod Schoonover, works in the State Department’s office of geography and global affairs and had sought to include the documents in a hearing on Wednesday. The White House Office of Legislative Affairs allowed Schoonover to testify before the panel but ultimately barred him from submitting his written testimony, according to officials cited by the Post, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.