Science envoy quits over Trump’s Charlottesville stance

By Barry Eitel

SAN FRANCISCO (AA) - A science envoy to the U.S. State Department resigned Wednesday over President Donald Trump’s response to a violent white supremacist rally in Virginia.

Daniel Kammen, an expert on renewable energy, announced his departure in an angry letter that contained a hidden message that spelled out ‘IMPEACH’ using the first letter of each paragraph.

Kammen, a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, was deeply troubled with how Trump seemingly failed to condemn white supremacists after a neo-Nazi killed a counter-protester by running her over during the white nationalist march in Charlottesville on Aug, 12.

“My decision to resign is in response to your attacks on core values of the United States,” Kammen wrote. “Your failure to condemn white supremacists and neo-Nazis has domestic and international ramifications.”

Kammen has worked with various federal agencies since 1996, including the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. He was appointed as a science envoy last year by the State Department, under former President Barack Obama.

Trump set off a wave of criticism following the attack in Charlottesville when he said there was violence “on many sides.” At a rally Tuesday in Arizona, he defended his statement and blamed the media for causing the controversy.

In his letter, Kammen said some of Trump’s earlier actions, like his decision in June to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement, further influenced his decision to quit.

“Particularly troubling to me is how your response to Charlottesville is consistent with a broader pattern of behavior that enables sexism and racism and disregards the welfare of all Americans, the global community and the planet,” Kammen wrote.

“Your decision to abdicate the leadership opportunities and the job creation benefits of the Paris climate accord and to undermine energy and environmental research are not acceptable to me.”

The State Department said in a statement Kammen was one of three active science envoys and the other two are planning to remain in their positions.