Former congressman and GOP candidate for New York governor, Lee Zeldin, is Donald Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Similar to Trump’s other nominees, Zeldin has no experience in environmental management and, if confirmed, is expected to irreparably harm the agency he leads.
As Edith Olmstead writes for The New Republic, Zeldin couldn’t answer even basic questions about science put to him by Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.):
Lee Zeldin, Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency, struggled to answer simple questions about science during his confirmation hearing Thursday. During his hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, ranking member Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said he intended to deliver on a promise to Zeldin to ask ‘really basic no-tricks questions about climate change,’ and Zeldin could barely answer a single one.
Later, Whitehouse asked Zeldin which climate “tipping points” he was concerned about, and could not name any.
“Whitehouse flagged his concerns that Trump intends to pour millions into the pockets of billionaire fossil fuel barons, and that he hoped Zeldin would demonstrate an ability to ‘follow the science’ and economics, as opposed to act as a ‘rubber stamp for looters and polluters.'”
AUTHOR FOOTNOTE
Lee Zeldin is a piece of work—even by MAGA “standards.” Zeldin, a reliable “stop the steal” mouthpiece for Trump in 2020, was credibly accused of committing signature fraud in his gubernatorial campaign’s efforts to create an “Independence Party.” He also flip-flopped on abortion in order to run a semi-viable campaign in New York, only to lose to Kathy Hochul. That’s in addition to reports of unlawful coordination with a SuperPAC, among other things.
Zeldin even got a special shout-out from Trump during his “impeachment victory speech.”
What’s clear is that the more politicians fail and/or get in legal trouble, the greater chance they’ll end up an official in Trump Regime II.
