A report, signed by Kevin H. Winters, assistant inspector general for investigations, criticized what it said was a sustained pattern of activities, largely supervised by senior political appointees, that included muting or withholding news releases on global warming and, at least in Dr. Hansen’s case, limiting a scientist’s interactions with reporters for fear that he might stray into discussing policies at odds with those of the White House.
“Our investigation,” the report said, “found that during the fall of 2004 through early 2006, the NASA Headquarters Office of Public Affairs managed the topic of climate change in a manner that reduced, marginalized or mischaracterized climate change science made available to the general public.”
The report said most evidence supported contentions that politics was “inextricably interwoven” into operations at the public affairs office in that period and that the pattern was inconsistent with the statutory responsibility to communicate findings widely, “especially on a topic that has worldwide scientific interest.”
A NASA spokesman, Michael Cabbage, said: “The issues mentioned in the inspector general’s report are more than two years old, and after learning of those issues, NASA revised the agency’s policy for disseminating science information. This revised policy has been hailed in a report by the Government Accountability Office as a model for other federal agencies because of its clarity and openness.”
Supporters of the Bush administration have consistently tried to make the case that this issue was mainly about a strong-willed maverick scientist, Dr. Hansen, who had said he planned to vote for Senator John Kerry and strongly criticized the administration position on climate.