Water Expert Dr. Peter Gleick Takes the Fall!

"Joe Bast says the document is a fake, a statement we take with a grain of salt given the Heartland Institute’s previous dissembling on the subject of climate change and its discredited position on the safety of second hand smoke.  In the circumstances, if the Heartland Institute can offer any specific criticism of the Climate Strategy or any evidence that it was faked and not, actually, written on Joe Bast’s laptop, printed out and scanned, we would be pleased to consider that evidence."---DeSmogblog (2-16-12)


On Valentine's Day (2-14-12) confidential documents from the Heartland Institute were posted on the Internet. A scientist named Peter Gleick soon admitted that he had duped the Heartland into emailing him the documents. Gleick claims that he pulled this stunt in order to authenticate a Heartland document he received anonymously in the mail. Heartland is claiming that this document is a total fabrication. The story, with all its legal implications, is discussed by the Columbia Journalism Review (3-1-12) and by DeSmogblog (2-19-12).


If the Heartland wants to prosecute Dr. Gleick, they might have to turn their computers over to law enforcement experts. Denialists are always saying that we are entitled to see what is in other people's computers. Still, the not-very-sincere Joe Bast may not want the authorities to see what is tucked away in his computer. Somehow, DeSmogBlog seems pretty sure about that.


Dr. Gleick may go down; but if he does, he might take the mendacious Heartland Institute down with him, just like Sherlock Holmes vanquished his nemesis Moriarty by taking him over Reichenbach Falls in "The final Problem."


[Update #1: official Chicago FBI statement]
I emailed the Chicago Media Coordinator for the FBI, Special Agent Royden "Ross" Rice, and asked him to send me the FBI's most recent statement about this case. Here is the FBI's most recent statement (2-24-12), which was sent to me on 3-5-12 and used with Mr. Rice's permission:


Representatives from the Heartland Institute contacted our office, earlier this week, to report what they felt was a criminal act committed against their organization.


We are currently working with the Institute and the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago to determine if the incident in question was a possible violation of criminal law, which would be under our jurisdiction.


[Update #2 (3-9-12)]


The climate change denialist John O'Sullivan (3-4-12), who claims he is a legal expert, has fabricated a statement and attributed it to Chicago FBI Special Agent Royden Rice. I know this is a fabricated quote because official FBI statements for the media don't make partisan attacks or speculate about charges. No FBI official would ever say anything so ludicrous. Not only that, Mr. Rice sent me what he states is his most recent statement (above) on March 5, 2012. That is why I know that Mr. O'Sullivan fabricated the quote he attributes to Mr. Rice in his March 4, 2012 article. Notice that Mr. Sullivan does not provide a link to Mr. Rice's apocryphal statement.


The lunatic John O'Sullivan (3-4-12) writes:


Other experts share my opinion that there is sufficient probable cause to follow through with a thorough in-depth federal investigation into the Gleick ’Fakegate’ case to see how far the 'post-normal' climate cancer has spread. Certainly, Peter Gleick should be offered a plea bargain deal if he rats out the other racketeers.


Apologists for climate criminals will not be curbed until the leaders of this 'post normal' academic cult are jailed. But whether the Obama government has the stomach to follow through and permit such prosecutions remains to be seen, as Chicago FBI agent, Ross Rice hinted:

“Whether Gleick, a member of the U.S. intellectual elite and a former student and coauthor with John Holdren, Obama’s Science Adviser, is ever charged is a different issue than whether his acts meet the elements of 18 USC 1343.”

[Update #3] It appears that the Chicago FBI is getting a little taste of what climate scientists have to deal with every day, although Mr. O'Sullivan seems to have decided to remove the fabricated claim that Agent Rice made this statement from one of his mendacious websites, Slaying the Sky Dragon (3-1-12). The statement is still there, but it is no longer falsely attributed to Agent Rice. A person has to be really stupid to fabricate a quote and attribute it to an FBI spokesman. The falsely attributed statement has still not been removed from this site, and has been repeated by other bloggers.


[Update #4] It appears that the Canadian denialist Steve McIntyre (2-28-12) said these words which "legal analyst" John O'Sullivan falsely attributes to FBI Special Agent Royden "Ross" Rice:


Whether Gleick, a member of the U.S. intellectual elite and a former student and coauthor of John Holdren, Obama’s Science Adviser, is ever charged is a different issue than whether his acts meet the elements of 18 USC 1343. [Near the end of the post.]


Meanwhile, Dr. John Mashey has mailed the Internal Revenue Service a report alleging that the Heartland Institute and other climate change denialist organizations may be violating their tax exempt status. Dr. Mashey mailed this information on Valentine's Day (2-14-12), the same day that the story about Dr. Gleick's escapade hit the news. Dr. Mashey's report is titled "Fake Science, Fake Experts, Funny Finances, Free of Tax SEPP, Heartland, CSCDGC, Allies and Donors."