Report: Trump Was Behind Pressure On NOAA To Agree With His Incorrect Tweet

Topline: The latest twist in the ongoing war over Trump’s tweet about Hurricane Dorian now leads directly to the man himself: President Donald Trump told his chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to pressure the NOAA into supporting Trump’s false forecast that Alabama could be hit hard by Hurricane Dorian, the Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the events.

• In response to Mulvaney’s request, the New York Times reported, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross called the head of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, which is part of the Department of Commerce, and threatened to fire political appointees if the agency didn’t publicly back Trump. 
• Later that day, the NOAA released an unsigned statement capitulating to Ross’ demands and contradicting the agency’s own scientists.
• The issuing of the unsigned statement has prompted concerns of political interference into scientific matters. A House panel announced Wednesday it was investigating the situation, and the agency’s chief scientist said he was pursuing an investigation into whether the statement violated scientific integrity. 
• NOAA head Neil Jacobs, whom Ross threatened, said at a conference Tuesday that “at one point, Alabama was in the mix, as was the rest of the Southeast,” but that he fully supports the forecasters who contradicted Trump, who sought to “calm fears in support of public safety.”
• A commerce secretary spokesperson denied the New York Times story in a statement, saying that Ross never threatened any firings.

Key background: The weeklong controversy started last Sunday when President Donald Trump tweeted that Hurricane Dorian—then making its way to the U.S. coast—would hit Alabama “much harder than anticipated.” Moments later the National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama, tweeted that, actually, Alabama wasn’t under threat. Doubling down a few days later, Trump showed reporters what appeared to be an altered NOAA map of Dorian’s path, which included an additional circle around Alabama believed to be added with a black Sharpie. 

Chief critics: Trump’s critics say the seemingly inane political showdown exemplifies the president’s inability to admit any mistake.