E.P.A. Employees Spoke Out. Then Came Scrutiny of Their Email.

[fountainofyouth]

Source: New York Times

One Environmental Protection Agency employee spoke up at a private lunch held near the agency headquarters, saying she feared the nation might be headed toward an “environmental catastrophe.” Another staff member, from Seattle, sent a letter to Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. administrator, raising similar concerns about the direction of the agency. A third, from Philadelphia, went to a rally where he protested against agency budget cuts.

Three different agency employees, in different jobs, from three different cities, but each encountered a similar outcome: Federal records show that within a matter of days, requests were submitted for copies of emails written by them that mentioned either Mr. Pruitt or President Trump, or any communication with Democrats in Congress that might have been critical of the agency.

The requests came from a Virginia-based lawyer working with America Rising, a Republican campaign research group that specializes in helping party candidates and conservative groups find damaging information on political rivals, and which, in this case, was looking for information that could undermine employees who had criticized the E.P.A.

Now a company affiliated with America Rising, named Definers Public Affairs, has been hired by the E.P.A. to provide “media monitoring,” in a move the agency said was intended to keep better track of newspaper and video stories about E.P.A. operations nationwide.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/17/us/politics/epa-pruitt-media-monitoring.html

[FailureToCommunicate]

1. My son worked for the EPA...chilling to think he could have been

one of those under scrutiny by these Brown Shirts.

Winter is here.

[Rene]

9. This monitoring cannot be allowed to happen.....how can it be stopped now before this becomes 'norm'

[Frustratedlady]

2. Scary as hell. Another crack in our democracy. eom

[benld74]

3. Total BS. What a Govt employee does away

From work is none of the EPA business

This shit can’t be legal

[Martin Eden]

4. Big Brother is watching

Thougt police in our government.

[turbinetree]

5. Hey America Rising, you want to monitor what I say

under the first amendment I think Scott Priutt should be indicted for misappropriation of my tax dollars....................are you going to send you goons to my house, because I think that

[SeaDoo77]

6. EDE - Environmental Destruction Enablers

Drill baby drill!

Mine baby mine.

Chop baby chop.

Burn baby burn......

[janterry]

7. This is really frightening

and even more frightening - the republicans just accept this.

Hitler really makes a lot more sense - now that we're living in the trump era. It just gets worse and worse and nothing stops it. Democracy is more fragile than any of us ever assumed

[Nitram]

8. The Secret Police are on the move. Co-workers will report you, family members will report you,

your neighbors will report you, if you do anything suspicious. Like criticizing the president or government policy.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. More about Definers Corp., from Mother Jones magazine:

The EPA Hired a Major Republican Opposition Research Firm to Track Press Activity

The EPA Hired a Major Republican Opposition Research Firm to Track Press Activity

It promises war room style media monitoring.

REBECCA LEBER, ANDY KROLL AND RUSS CHOMA DEC. 15, 2017 6:00 AM

Using taxpayer dollars, the Environmental Protection Agency has hired a cutting-edge Republican PR firm that specializes in digging up opposition research to help Administrator Scott Pruitts office track and shape press coverage of the agency.

According to federal contracting records, earlier this month Pruitts office inked a no-bid $120,000 contract with Definers Corp., a Virginia-based public relations firm founded by Matt Rhoades, who managed Mitt Romneys 2012 presidential campaign. Following Romneys defeat, Rhoades established America Rising, an ostensibly independent political action committee that works closely with the Republican National Committee and Republican candidates to mine damning information on opponents. Other higher-ups at Definers include former RNC research director Joe Pounder, whos been described as a master of opposition research, and senior vice president Colin Reed, an oppo-research guru billed as among the leaders of the war on {Sen. Elizabeth} Warren.
....

USASpending.gov, a website that tracks federal spending, shows that in early 2016 the EPA signed a $207,000 contract with a firm called Bulletin Intelligence, requesting similar services. Bulletin is owned by public relations giant Cision, a well-known international PR firm. According to OpenSecrets.orgs expenditure data, Bulletin is not political and has not done any recent work for any candidates or PACs. The contract expired in February.

Definers also recently launched a new venture with the global law firm Dentons, which describes itself as combining political intelligence, legal advisors, campaign-style tactics, lobbying, governmental affairs, research, and communications into one unique offering to help clients. ... The career of at least one of Pruitts staffers has overlapped with the Republican operatives at Definers. Jahan Wilcox, who previously worked for Marco Rubios presidential campaign and in rapid response for the Republican National Committee, is now a spokesperson for the EPA.
....

Rebecca Leber is a reporter in Mother Jones' DC bureau. Reach her at [e-mail].

Andy Kroll is an investigative reporter at Mother Jones. For more of his stories, click here. Follow him on Twitter here. Send tips, scoops, and documents to akroll (at) motherjones (dot) com.

Russ Choma is a reporter in the Washington bureau of Mother Jones covering money in politics and influence.

Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold

The EPA Hired a Major Republican Opposition Research Firm to Track Press Activity. @rebleber @AndyKroll @russchoma

Link to tweet

* * * * *

https://www.definersdc.com/

Definers Public Affairs is a unique consulting firm that translates proven political campaign communications techniques to the corporate, trade association and issue advocacy fields.

https://www.definersdc.com/team

* * * * *

USASpending.gov

https://www.usaspending.gov/Pages/Default.aspx