How the energy leaders behind Trump's war on climate changed their stripes

Once they sounded reasonable. Now top officials carry out the president’s environmentally ruinous policies.

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(Bill Sternberg is a veteran Washington journalist and former editorial page editor of USA Today.)

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (Callaway Climate Insights) — The Trump administration purports to be extremely concerned about whether officials are truthful when they testify before Congress.

Last September, a federal prosecutor obtained a grand jury indictment against former FBI Director James Comey, alleging he made false statements to Congress in 2020 about authorizing leaks to the news media. (The indictment was subsequently tossed out.)

In January, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into whether Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell knowingly misled lawmakers about a $2.5 billion renovation of Fed headquarters.

When it comes to President Donald Trump’s political targets — people such as Comey and Powell — misleading Congress is treated like a high crime, even if the evidence of duplicity is flimsy at best. When members of Trump’s own cabinet are involved, however, deceiving Congress is no big deal.

This contrast is particularly stark with the administration officials most responsible for energy and environmental policy: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.