An investigation into the Commerce Department over its pressure on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration into backing President Donald Trump’s claim that Hurricane Dorian would severely hit Alabama in 2019 has concluded, revealing that the department is to blame. The report, written by Inspector General Peggy Gustafson, states that the Commerce Department went against the interests of the NOAA and the National Weather Service and against the guidance of their forecasters in backing Trump’s statement. A summary of the report was posted late Monday night with redactions, and it does not clarify what role the White House played in pressuring the NOAA to go against their own forecasters. The summary concludes that the Commerce Department “led a flawed process that discounted NOAA participation.”
