NYT: Kelly Shut Down EPA Plan To Hold Debates Over Climate Science

John F. Kelly, White House Chief of Staff for President Donald Trump, was present for he Medal of Honor ceremony for former Specialist Five James C. McCloughan, U.S. Army in the East Room of the White House, on Monday, July 31, 2017. (Photo by Cheriss May) (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto)
John F. Kelly, White House Chief of Staff for President Donald Trump, was present for he Medal of Honor ceremony for former Specialist Five James C. McCloughan, U.S. Army in the East Room of the White House, on Monda... John F. Kelly, White House Chief of Staff for President Donald Trump, was present for he Medal of Honor ceremony for former Specialist Five James C. McCloughan, U.S. Army in the East Room of the White House, on Monday, July 31, 2017. (Photo by Cheriss May) (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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White House chief of staff John Kelly thwarted an effort by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt to hold public debates challenging climate science, the New York Times reported Friday, citing unnamed people familiar with the deliberations.

Pruitt proposed the debates last year, calling for a “red team, blue team” exercise that would evaluate the science behind climate change. Trump was interested in the idea, according to the New York Times.

However, Kelly and other officials opposed Pruitt’s idea and set out to quash the effort, per the New York Times. At a meeting in December, Kelly’s deputy at the time, Rick Dearborn, told officials at a White House meeting that Kelly considered the idea “dead,” and other aides in the meeting were also opposed to the debates, according to the New York Times.

Read the full New York Times report here.

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  1. At least maybe there is one person in the Trump administration who does not want to defend the in-defensible.

  2. There’s debate and then again there’s propaganda… Kelly may have enough political smarts to know the difference

  3. If the morning’s other lead story is correct, Trump doesn’t need them anyway.

    There are no red teams or blue teams to him. There is only his team (slowly shriveling to a team of one) and there is only his fact-free reality.

    Any time you’re ready, Mr. Mueller …

  4. Kelly is extremely conservative as well as not being a person you could respect that much, frankly. But he’s nearer the normal-person end of the normal–loon continuum in this administration, which makes him a net positive IMHO for all of us. He knew enough to see this would bring them all more disgrace, because he knows there’s no controversy. If he goes—hoo boy. Look out below.

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