More on the original document leak: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/73099.html
Climate researcher admits leaking Heartland Institute documents By: Darren Samuelsohn February 21, 2012 12:07 AM EST Oakland-based climate researcher Peter Gleick confirmed Monday that hes the source of last weeks leak of documents purporting to reveal the budget and strategy of the Heartland Institute. Writing on his Huffington Post blog, Gleick, the president and co-founder of the Pacific Institute, said he received one document anonymously at the start of the year but then, in an attempt to confirm its accuracy, made a serious lapse of my own and professional judgment and ethics by contacting the Chicago-based libertarian group using someone elses name. The Heartland Institute replied to him with more materials and "confirmed many of the facts in the original document, including especially their 2012 fundraising strategy and budget," Gleick wrote, referring to its purported plans to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors like the Charles G. Koch Foundation and the creation of new school curriculum questioning climate change science. "I can explicitly confirm, as can the Heartland Institute, that the documents they emailed to me are identical to the documents that have been made public," Gleick wrote. "I made no changes or alterations of any kind to any of the Heartland Institute documents or to the original anonymous communication." Gleicks blog post appears to end one of the mysteries from last week's leak with his acknowledgment that he also forwarded the documents to journalists and other experts who work on climate issues. The left-leaning DeSmogBlog and Climate Progress, which is affiliated with the Center for American Progress, were among the sites to first publish the materials Feb. 14. "I will not comment on the substance or implications of the materials; others have and are doing so," Gleick wrote. "I only note that the scientific understanding of the reality and risks of climate change is strong, compelling, and increasingly disturbing, and a rational public debate is desperately needed." "My judgment was blinded by my frustration with the ongoing efforts often anonymous, well-funded, and coordinated to attack climate science and scientists and prevent this debate, and by the lack of transparency of the organizations involved," he wrote. "Nevertheless I deeply regret my own actions in this case. I offer my personal apologies to all those affected." Heartland Institute spokesman Jim Lakely said late Monday that hes aware of Gleicks blog post but did not have an immediate comment. The group sent letters over the weekend to several blogs and news outlets including POLITICO demanding that they delete all references to the documents. Heartland says one of the documents is a fake and that it's investigating the others, and it's alleging that the documents were stolen or otherwise taken from the group improperly. It also said it's contacted the FBI and police and is considering pursuing civil and criminal charges against the person who originally obtained the materials. Two sources in California longtime Democratic operative Chris Lehane and Corey Goodman, a member of the Pacific Institute board of directors confirmed to POLITICO that Gleick authored the Huffington Post blog confessing to be the source of the leak. "This is very Peter-esque if he discovers he did something wrong to get right out there," said Goodman, the managing director and co-founder of venBio, a health care investment firm. "There's a lot of people in these issues who don't do things like that. If he discovers he made a mistake, he'd want to be the first one to say so. Give him some credit for that, Goodman added. Gleick has often battled with the Heartland Institute over climate science. The internationally-known water expert and member of the National Academy of Sciences since 2006, Gleick last summer was tapped by the Center for American Progress to participate in a pre-buttal conference call before Heartland hosted its sixth annual International Conference on Climate Change in Washington. Andy Revkin, author of The New York Times' Dot Earth blog, wrote Monday that Gleick's disclosure will have consequences for the climate scientist. "One way or another, Gleicks use of deception in pursuit of his cause after years of calling out climate deception has destroyed his credibility and harmed others," Revkin wrote. "That is his personal tragedy and shame (and Im sure devastating for his colleagues, friends and family)." This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 12:03 a.m. on ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:347212 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
