NASA Restricted Flow of Environmental Data During 2004 Election

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The political officers in NASA’s press office pressured career officials during the president’s 2004 reelection campaign to halt the release of new data on glaciers, climate change and pollution that might be seen as adverse to administration policies, the New York Times reported. In January, the agency’s top climate scientist, James E. Hansen, said political appointees tried to stop him from speaking out on global warming. That prompted several other scientists and press officers to come forward, the paper said. NASA Administration Michael D. Griffin has since called for “scientific openness.” (2/16/06)