OKLAHOMA AG RELEASES 7,564 PAGES IN RESPONSE TO CMD REQUEST

[BeckyDem]

By Exposed ByCMD Editors February 22nd, 2017
at 8:30 AM (CST)


Under court order, Oklahoma Attorney General’s office releases previously withheld emails and holds back others; more emails expected on February 27

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — As a result of an Open Records Act request and lawsuit filed by the Center for Media and Democracy, on Tuesday night the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office released a batch of more than 7,500 pages of emails and other records it withheld prior to Scott Pruitt’s nomination as EPA Administrator last Friday.

The AG’s office has withheld an undetermined number of additional documents as exempted or privileged and submitted them to the Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons for review. A number of other documents were redacted, and CMD will be asking for the court to review those as well. On February 27, the AG’s office has been ordered to deliver records related to five outstanding requests by CMD.

“Despite repeated attempts by Pruitt and the Oklahoma AG’s office to stonewall CMD and the public, we’ve won a major breakthrough in obtaining access to public records that shine a light on Pruitt’s emails with polluters and their proxies,” said Nick Surgey, research director at the Center for Media and Democracy. “The newly released emails reveal a close and friendly relationship between Scott Pruitt’s office and the fossil fuel industry, with frequent meetings, calls, dinners and other events. And our work doesn’t stop here – we will keep fighting until all of the public records involving Pruitt’s dealings with energy corporations are released – both those for which his office is now asserting some sort of privilege against public disclosure and the documents relevant to our eight other Open Records Act requests.”

“There is no valid legal justification for the emails we received last night not being released prior to Pruitt’s confirmation vote other than to evade public scrutiny,” said Arn Pearson, general counsel for CMD. “There are hundreds of emails between the AG’s office, Devon Energy, and other polluters that Senators should have been permitted to review prior to their vote to assess Pruitt’s ties to the fossil fuel industry.”

http://www.exposedbycmd.org/Scott-Pruitt-Missing-Emails

[Eyeball_Kid]

1. Why is this an issue at the federal level? Stephen Bannon.

Bannon wants Pruitt to dismantle the EPA. Bannon's STATED GOAL is to "deconstruct" the administration of government. He WANTS Pruitt to rip it all apart.

Trumpy is a megalomaniac, for sure, but he met his match in Bannon.

Bannon is intentionally destructive. He is sitting in the catbird's seat right now. This is the peak of his career, his life. Every day that he's in the White House is a day he can design the destruction of the federal government. He has NO RESISTANCE from the dumb fuck in the president's chair, who's mesmerized by Bannon's rhetoric. Bannon is our version of Rasputin.

[BeckyDem]

2. To open the door for more profits, yes.

Climate change is a threat like no other, yet it doesn't rank on enough peoples list of priorities. Trump and his cronies live for the here and now, no concern for the future. Trump is smart enough to know this is wrong, but how else would he have won if not for Bannon? He doesn't care, and I don't mean to suggest is a brilliant man, he is not. He is a cynical cheap human being.