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NOAA Places Sharpiegate Investigators on Leave Days Before Jacobs Confirmation

Critics say the timing of the leave suggests political interference in scientific oversight.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 04: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) references a map held by acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan while talking to reporters following a briefing from officials about Hurricane Dorian in the Oval Office at the White House September 04, 2019 in Washington, DC. The map was a forecast from August 29 and appears to have been altered by a black marker to extend the hurricane's range to include Alabama. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump talks with reporters after receiving a briefing on Hurricane Dorian in the Oval Office on Sept. 4, 2019.
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Overview

  • Two senior NOAA officials, Stephen Volz and Jeff Dillen, were placed on administrative leave Thursday under unexplained circumstances, NOAA confirmed.
  • Volz and Dillen led the 2019 investigation into Trump’s hand-drawn alteration of a Hurricane Dorian forecast that concluded then-acting NOAA chief Neil Jacobs violated scientific integrity.
  • NOAA communications director Kim Doster said Dillen’s leave followed a review of recent performance issues and Volz’s leave was for an unrelated matter, with no further details provided.
  • The personnel actions come days before the Senate Commerce Committee vote on Neil Jacobs’s nomination to lead NOAA, raising questions about the motives behind the timing.
  • Agency staffers and former officials warn that the move threatens NOAA’s scientific integrity policy and risks eroding morale during ongoing staffing and budget challenges.