Trump Continues Practice of Nominating Monsanto Insiders

in environment •  7 years ago  (edited)

Is President Trump's nomination of Peter C. Wright to the EPA an indication that another administration will continue the practice of crony capitalism?

In early March, President Donald Trump nominated Peter C. Wright to be the assistant administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM). The nomination of Wright is another indication that the Trump administration will continue the practice of nominating industry insiders and corporate lawyers to positions of power. The White House stated that Wright would help develop “legal strategies regarding Superfund sites and other federal and state-led remediation matters.”

The EPA released a statement detailing the nomination and Wright’s employment history:

"Since 1999, Mr. Wright has worked at The Dow Chemical Company where he serves as managing counsel for environmental health and safety and principle counsel for all significant mergers and acquisitions. Throughout his career, Mr. Wright has provided legal support for Superfund and other remediation sites. In 2017, he was recognized with a special award for the oversight and reorganization efforts of the remediation portfolio.

Scott Pruitt, administrator of the EPA, applauded the decision, stating that Wright has “the expertise and experience necessary to implement our ambitious goals for cleaning up the nation’s contaminated lands quickly and thoroughly.” Interestingly, Pruitt himself is currently under fire for his recently-exposed connections to lobbyists.

In addition to his work with Dow, Wright’s LinkedIn page lists him as an Environmental Attorney for Monsanto from 1989 to 1996. Wright’s association with The Dow Chemical Company and Monsanto— corporations known for producing hazardous chemicals and pesticides along with genetically engineered seeds— could be an indication that the Trump Administration may have a sympathetic ear for these industries. If so, it would be the continuation of a trend that has extended through the last few American presidencies.

As far back as the Reagan Administration, the U.S. presidency has been bending to the will of biotechnology giants like Monsanto, Dow, and Syngenta. Former President George H.W. Bush appointed Monsanto attorney Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. Former President George W. Bush was also friendly to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, appointing individuals like Donald Rumsfeld, a former president of Searle Pharmaceuticals, to Secretary of Defense. The younger Bush also appointed Linda J. Fisher, a Monsanto representative from 1995 to 2000, to second-in-command at the EPA.

One of the most well known examples of this revolving door between chemical companies and the U.S. government is Michael Taylor, a former lawyer for Monsanto. Taylor worked in the Food and Drug Administration during the Nixon and Reagan administrations before serving as a lawyer for Monsanto. In 1991, President George H. W. Bush appointed Taylor as the FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Policy. Taylor was also reappointed to the FDA by the Obama administration.

This article was originally published on Truth In Media



db

I am an investigative journalist and free human; a Lead Investigative Reporter for @activistpost and the founder of the TheConsciousResistance.com & The Houston Free Thinkers. I just released my new book The Holistic Self-Assessment; I have also co-authored three books with @johnvibes: The Conscious Resistance: Reflections on Anarchy and Spirituality, Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion and Manifesto of the Free Humans

Donate via:

Bitcoin: 16fDdrZvt9XUv7TyboSYtaHfcxMb22Yiew
Ethereum: 0x8d20b442de44C28467b3d66939ff3077F9CfCb24
DASH: XbPpwz1ZvtkTeik1y3wDgrHRJTEst564XH

I am always available for interviews, Please contact [email protected]

I greatly appreciate any support here or on my other social media:

| Steemit | Patreon | Twitter
| YouTube | Facebook |

Authors get paid when people like you upvote their post.
If you enjoyed what you read here, create your account today and start earning FREE STEEM!
Sort Order:  

I wonder if Trump really thought he would be able to drain the swamp & just got railroaded by the real powers in this nation or if he was just a Trojan Horse the whole time. I didn't get on the Trump Train but, hopefully, those who did won't be fooled again when the next political messiah gets rolled out in the next election cycle. The deep state will have to pull out all of the stops to trick many of those folks again. We'll be here to warn them & may even help them avoid the trap of trusting a polititon. Death to the state!!! We are all adults here & we don't need 'em!

So glad you're documenting all of this on the blockchain!
Thank you Derrick!

Drain. Fill. I can understand how those too could be confused in relation to swamps and the creatures that dwell within..

Hey Buddy it’s Tim from Mexico 😎