Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross reportedly threatened to fire top employees at the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) after officials contradicted President Trump’s claim that Alabama could be impacted by Hurricane Dorian.
Trump faced pushback from meteorologists last week after stating that Alabama would potentially feel the effects of Dorian. The warning, which came via tweet, prompted the National Weather Service’s Birmingham branch to emphasize on Twitter that the state would not be affected by the storm.
Ross contacted NOAA acting Administrator Neil Jacobs just two days later and asked him to fix issue related to the perception that the agency had contradicted Trump, The New York Times reported Monday, citing three people familiar with the discussion. The newspaper said that Jacobs initially objected.
