Luján Questions President Trump’s NOAA Administrator Nominee on Putting Facts and Science First

Dr. Neil Jacobs was involved in the 2019 “Sharpiegate,” when President Trump altered a hurricane map to falsely show Hurricane Dorian hitting Alabama, contradicting official forecasts

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, questioned Dr. Neil Jacobs, President Trump’s nominee to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), about his commitment to telling the truth during emergencies.

Dr. Jacobs, who previously served as acting NOAA Administrator during President Trump’s first term, had defended the president’s dissemination of inaccurate weather information during a severe weather emergency. The Committee hearing came in the wake of deadly flooding in New Mexico and Texas, which claimed three lives in Ruidoso.

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WATCH: Chris Hayes Highlights Senator Lujan’s Questioning of Dr. Neil Jacobs

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“When Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico) asked whether Jacobs believed Americans should have to pay for access to the best forecasting data, he answered no.”

ABC News – Senate considers Neil Jacobs, ‘Sharpiegate’ scientist, as NOAA administrator

“When asked by Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-NM, on Wednesday whether he would “make the same decision again,” Jacobs replied, “There’s probably some things I would do differently.”

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“Asked by Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) whether he would “sign off on an inaccurate statement due to political pressure in the same event,” Jacobs said no.”

An excerpt of the exchange is available HERE and below: 

Sen. Luján: September 1, 2019, when you were NOAA’s acting administrator, President Trump erroneously tweeted Alabama had been hit hard by Hurricane Dorian. 

Shortly after, the National Weather Service Birmingham office issued the accurate statement, “Alabama will not see any impacts from Dorian.”

Three days later, President Trump went on TV and displayed a weather map altered with a black Sharpie line to show that Dorian would hit Alabama.

Two days after that, you helped draft a release rebuking the Birmingham NWS, and repeating President Trump’s baseless claims that Hurricane Dorian could impact Alabama.

You told the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General in their investigation that you “definitely felt like our jobs were on the line,” and while you did not like it, you would make the same decision again to edit a less inflammatory statement as the least bad option. Dr. Jacobs, do I have it right? Is that correct?

Dr. Jacobs: That is what the report found.

Sen. Luján: You would do nothing differently?

Dr. Jacobs: There are probably some things I would do differently, and a lot of this that I did after that, I guess, to change any potential future outcome.

Sen. Luján: I just had constituents die in New Mexico and constituents in Texas. Would you sign off on an inaccurate statement due to political pressure in the same event, yes or no?

Dr. Jacobs: No.

Sen. Luján: I appreciate that very much.

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