A group of Democrats in the Senate recently sent a letter to the Office of Special Counsel to review what the letter’s authors called “deeply troubling requests” made by the incoming Trump administration to officials at the Energy Department.
“It has come to our attention that President-elect Donald J. Trump’s transition officials have asked the Department of Energy through a questionnaire for a list of the individual personnel who have worked on certain climate change policies, as well as for the lists of the publications and associations of scientists at the National Laboratories. These requests appear to have violated long-standing federal laws designed to protect civil servants against coercion for partisan purposes,” wrote the Senators.
The Senators cited the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 in their letter as grounds for how the request may have been a violation.
Donald Trump nominated former Texas governor Rick Perry to lead the Energy Department shortly after the news about the questionnaire began to circulate. Perry is on record as having been in favor of eliminating the agency. At the very least, the changes could have an impact on employees there. See Policy Change Hinted for Department of Energy in Questionnaire and New Secretary
A copy of the Senators’ letter is included below.
