[THREAD] In detailed new report, Commerce Dept. IG criticizes leaders for, under WH pressure, forcing @NOAA to issue a stmt backing Trump's Hurricane Dorian claims over its own forecasters' #sharpiegate https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/07/09/sharpiegate-inspector-general-final-report/ 1/

The report includes emails from then-acting WH chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to Commerce Sec. Wilbur Ross, saying President Trump "wants either a correction or an explanation or both" after the National Weather Service seemingly contradicted Trump's tweet on Alabama threat. 2/

The report answers many questions about how the unsigned Sept. 6 NOAA stmt came into existence, showing how little input NOAA had in the process. The IG concludes the agency's credibility was damaged. 3/

Right now there is a tropical storm approaching the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. This hurricane season is projected to be extremely active, amid a covid pandemic raging out of control in the US. That's horrible timing for reduced public trust in weather forecasts/warnings. 4/

#Sharpiegate foreshadowed so many events to come re: the politicization of science under Trump and dismissal of experts -- including the White House's ongoing twisting of public health guidance during the pandemic. 5/5