NOAA Chief Violated Ethics Code in Furor Over Trump Tweet, Agency Says - The New York Times

NOAA Chief Violated Ethics Code in Furor Over Trump Tweet, Agency Says - The New York Times

Sharpiegate panel condemns NOAA head

The head of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) violated the agency’s ethics code last year when he backed up US President Donald Trump’s claims that a hurricane could hit Alabama, finds a NOAA panel. The panel concluded that acting administrator Neil Jacobs “engaged in the misconduct intentionally, knowingly, or in reckless disregard” of the agency’s scientific-integrity policy by censoring its office in Birmingham, Alabama, which had tweeted that the state would not see a major impact from Hurricane Dorian. The controversy was dubbed ‘sharpiegate’ after Trump showed a NOAA map that had been altered with a black marker during a press conference last September.

New York Times | 3 min read