"Inside EPA’s Hunt For Employees Who Signed The Dissent Letter" [1]
"“I have screen shots of every name on my phone,” a high-ranking EPA political appointee said."
"EPA was rocked this summer when dozens of employees signed an open letter blasting the Trump administration’s disregard for science and agency staff.
Then came the probe: Senior political appointees and career officials went to work to find and later punish critics in EPA’s ranks.
Emails obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News under the Freedom of Information Act shed light on the internal investigation that began within hours of the EPA “Declaration of Dissent” going public on June 30. In the following days, the administration sifted through names of those who had signed the letter, shared legal advice and responded by placing close to 150 employees on administrative leave while their computers and email accounts were searched."