| October 5, 2010 |  |
Ken Cuccinelli Continues Harassment of Scientists
WASHINGTON (October 4, 2010) – Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli continues to send the message that legitimate scientific research is not welcome in Virginia. On September 29, he officially submitted another Civil Investigative Demand (CID)—essentially a subpoena—to the University of Virginia (UVA) regarding research and communications by climate scientist and former UVA professor Michael Mann and more than thirty of his colleagues.
In August, a Virginia judge dismissed four previous subpoenas on the grounds that the attorney general had offered no evidence of wrongdoing by Mann or any other climate scientist. This case is more narrowly focused, but like its predecessors, it has no merit. In addition, the attorney general also reportedly plans to appeal the judge’s previous ruling.
Cuccinelli originally targeted five grants awarded to Mann and other researchers under the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act, arguing that Mann had defrauded the state of Virginia in doing climate research. Several independent investigations dating back years have cleared Mann of any research misconduct, and Mann has made his data and methods publicly available.
The following is a statement by Francesca Grifo, senior scientist and director of the UCS Scientific Integrity Program.
“Here we go again. Ken Cuccinelli is flagrantly abusing his power. There’s only one reason I can think of to pursue a case where there’s no evidence—and that’s politics.
"The attorney general continues to harass Michael Mann and other climate scientists simply because their results don’t fit with his political views. Dr. Mann’s research has been broadly replicated by many other studies. The attorney general is sending a message that legitimate scientific research is not welcome in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
"This latest salvo is even more flimsy than the previous one. Dr. Mann’s research is already public. This investigation serves no purpose other than to artificially inject doubt into the public discourse on climate change and distract us from addressing a real problem. If allowed to go forward, the subpoena would force these scientists to waste hundreds of hours of time putting together what the attorney general has asked for—when there is no evidence whatsoever of fraud. In this case, the only person who is misusing Virginia taxpayers’ money is Ken Cuccinelli.”
The new CID, plus a timeline of Cuccinelli’s misguided investigation, is available at ucsusa.org/cuccinelli.
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