Commerce Staff Drafted Rebuke of NWS For Contradicting Trump On Dorian

"Commerce Department officials were responsible for drafting a statement that rebuked National Weather Service staff after they sent a tweet countering President Trump’s statements about Hurricane Dorian, according to a letter sent by the House Science committee Thursday.

The letter sent by House Science, Space and Technology Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross stated that interviews that took place with administration staff this week revealed it was Commerce Department officials, not National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) staff, who were responsible for sending the controversial letter.

In the interview with Neil Jacobs, the acting administrator at NOAA, the committee found that an unsigned Sept. 6 statement that disavowed NWS staff in Alabama was orchestrated by Ross’s chief of staff and three other top deputies."

Miranda Green reports for The Hill October 10, 2019.

Source: The Hill, 10/11/2019