JUNE 7, 2012 – The Board of Directors of the Pacific Institute announced yesterday it was “pleased to welcome Dr. Peter Gleick back to his position as president” of the organization. The announcement comes three months after Gleick, a prominent climate scientist, confessed to stealing confidential board documents from The Heartland Institute.
Gleick also circulated a memo, purportedly describing Heartland’s “climate strategy,” that he originally claimed to have received from Heartland, and later claimed to have received “in the mail” from an anonymous source. Heartland and others identified the memo as a fake and continue to believe it was most likely written by Gleick himself to damage Heartland’s reputation.
Since the “Fakegate” scandal broke in February, environmental groups including Greenpeace and 350.org have used the fake memo to launch disinformation campaigns against Heartland’s donors and the scientists who participate in its climate change research programs.
The following statement from Joseph Bast, president of The Heartland Institute, may be used for attribution. For more information, contact Director of Communications Jim Lakely at jlakely@heartland.org or 312/377-4000.
“Fakegate – which began when a fake memo was circulated to defame the world’s most prominent source of skepticism on man-made global warming – has now generated a fake investigation claiming to exonerate the person at the center of the scandal.
“Whereas The Heartland Institute has been open and honest with the public and the press, sharing emails and the results of its own internal investigations, the Pacific Institute has refused to identify who conducted its investigation, to release its report, or even to respond to our inquiries about what questions were asked of Gleick.
“As near as we can tell, this was not an investigation. It was a whitewash.
“The Pacific Institute’s board of directors has failed to perform its duty and should be deeply ashamed. We have asked the federal government to prosecute Gleick for what we believe were serious crimes he committed, and we await its decision.”
# # #
Note: shortly before I received this statement from Heartland, I got an email identifying the investigating organization. I’ve made Heartland aware of this. This is the update I posted on the main story at 11AM today. I received the email from Ross at 9:20 AM but was awaiting verification before releasing this news.
Pacific Institute Communications Director Nancy Ross sent me an email this morning stating:
The investigator is Independent Employment Counsel, LLP.
I am waiting for confirmation that they performed the review from one of the two partners at the firm. http://www.iecounsel.com/ – Anthony
Whatever investigation they performed is really immaterial … Gleick CONFESSED to illegal and HIGHLY unethical activity. Pacific Institute admits that Gleick’s actions violated their ethics rules.
You can not unring that bell – Gleick ADMITS his guilt. No investigation can change that.
The Board has grossly failed in their obligations. Their actions, or lack thereof are a complete joke.
I hope Gleick gets his day in court. And hopefully many days behind bars.
Do you really expect them to make the details of this employment situation public?
I can’t belive that the information about the Investigator can be true. This must be some kind of a bad joke. Have they used lawyers instead of technicians to clear Gleick…?? Is there something I do not understand (english is not my first language)?
Thank you for the update – please keep us advised as the left always says they investigated and all is clean and nice. Try the RUN AND GUN games in Congress and the AG office as an example.
I will watch with interest as this unfolds…
Strange coincidence …. just bought the domain “climatejustice.co.uk” on the off chance we might need it in the near future … will it be sooner than we think?
“The investigator is Independent Employment Counsel, LLP.”
Since “independent” is in their name I guess it really was an “independent” investigation. I feel much better.
But “Employment Counsel”? Aren’t we looking at criminal activity rather employment potential? Maybe I don’t feel better afterall.
And still nothing changes 🙁
Who was the client/customer here? Whose interests did this firm protect?
I smell a rat…
There can be no doubt about the veracity of the findings of this investigation. It is blindingly simple, but let’s recap.
Gleick publicly admits to, what may be called industrial espionage. The PI then contract a third party to ask Gleick whether what he admitted in public is indeed the truth. Gleick confirms that it is the truth. Then the PI can accurately report that an enquiry has found that Gleick had told the truth in public. Having an enquiry confirming that one has told the truth, is of couse, an “exoneration”. Therefore, Gleick is exonerated. The story can be released to the tame media, and that’s the message the public see: Gleick is exonerated.
But it is circular reasoning, like a jewel thief being exonerated because the jury finds that the defendent told the truth about stealing the diamond. Only, we can hope, there may be a few individuals still left scratching their heads, thinking “wait a mintue, he admitted theft – that’s exoneration?” Maybe some people will get it. Maybe, some people aren’t as dumb as the PI thinks. Maybe this will backfire on them horribly. Maybe. Fingers crossed.
“The investigator is Independent Employment Counsel, LLP.”
IEC specializes in EEO complaints, so I imagine their investigation cleared Gleick of forcing his secretarial pool to become accomplices in his criminal activities. Aside from that, Gleick is toast.
I had the impression that Heartland was also suing Pacific for civil damages. Is that not so?
“We have asked the federal government to prosecute Gleick…”
Oh yeah that’ll happen.
William Briggs has fun with this mess, claiming Bernie Madoff is going to work for the Pacific Institute in a work release program!
http://wmbriggs.com/blog/?p=5721
This is from their website:
Independent Employment Counsel, LLP (IEC) performs
independent, neutral services (arbitrations, mediations and
investigations) in labor and employment matters. Our
experience includes cases of all kinds—harassment,
discrimination, retaliation, fraud and other workplace
misconduct claims. The firm conducts unique seminars
including leadership seminars, training related to employment
law obligations and unlawful harassment training but using a
broader thoughtful platform. The firm provides advice and
expert testimony concerning workplace investigations.
IEC’s services are provided by Cynthia E Maxwell and Gary Scholick, who between them possess more than fifty years of experience as employment and labor law attorneys. They are intimately familiar with the daily challenges of managing, supervising and working in the twenty-first century workplace.
Among other things – seminars, and arbitration – they do:
Internal Attorney Investigations:
IEC’s attorneys conduct independent, objective, impartial internal investigations of claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation and other workplace misconduct. The investigations comply with internal alternative dispute and complaint resolution procedures and state and federal law that delineate employer obligations to address workplace concerns.
It does not appear that forensic investigations are in their tool bag.
He bought carbon offsets which are the modern equivalent of medieval indulgences so he was absolved of all his sins. 😉
A very dark and grim part of [Peter] Gleick is rejoicing over the news that he has been restored to his position at the Pacific Institute. The most important part of him, the part that makes him and the rest of us human, has to be, by definition, in despair. I told him as much in an e-mail. And I would tell him the same thing if I met him in the street.
It is never too late to come clean.
A New Zealand friend told me he was beginning to come around to my skeptical viewpoint prior to reading Gleick’s revelations. I hope Heartland, Anthony and any others damaged by his chicanery sue the pants off him, The Pacific Institute, and all of the other “news media” which participated in his deceptions. Bad behavior whether by children or by people with PhDs should not go unpunished.
Scottish Sceptic said on June 7, 2012 at 11:37 am:
Wow, what an excellent opportunity!
Set up the Climate Justice! website, that will accept donations to help the poor of the world adversely impacted by “improper” government policies concerning “climate change” and “carbon” emissions.
Then give to those working directly to defeat “carbon” taxes and renewable energy mandates that lead to energy poverty and restrict development in third-world countries, and also to climate skeptics who are doing that less directly.
You have the proof on your side, it’ll all be legal and defensible. Go for it!
Independent Employment Counsel, LLP have an entry in Google.
Cynthia E. Maxwell and Gary Schlick are “employment and labor law attorneys.” and “They are intimately familiar with the daily challenges of managing, supervising and working in the twenty-first century workplace.”
I see no claim about what at the very least amounts to ‘industrial espionage’ in Gleick’s case – unless this is considered a normal working practice nowadays.
I am not an attorney. However, while I believe Heartland is correct in attempting to get US DOJ to prosecute Gleick under federal criminal statutes, I believe it is the Heartland directors and donors who have been harassed and threatened as the result of the illegal releases of internal Heartland documents who have the standing to file civil suits against Gleick and perhaps against those who published the illicitly acquired information.
If only Nixon had known about LLP.
A couple months back, I thought I read that independent writing experts pegged Gleick as the likely forger of the fake memo.
“We have asked the federal government to prosecute Gleick for what we believe were serious crimes he committed, and we await its decision.”
this is enormously cheering.
please follow through and make the paper.
if there is a prosecution, that will be the first.
one victory will change the game because that would falsify their perennially confirmed notion of impunity.
without the first victory, the record is loss on every engagement.
it’s in your hands, heartland. do what needs to be done.
also, please post the request you made to the federal government.
nothing can boost the morale and rally the troops like a victory.
this would more significant and effective development than anything else i can think of.
a bit of justice has been long overdue. take the initiative and you have a chance to conquer.
seize the opportunity lest it evaporate. don’t let it go cold.