Cuccinelli Witch Project

So, you didn’t think the opposition to global warming was political?  You thought “skeptics” were just out to make a scientific case?

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli - campaign photo

As the Hook explains, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has ordered the University of Virginia to turn over all records they have of research done by Michael Mann while he was at the UVA (he left five years ago for Penn State). (Civil Investigative Demand, here)

It’s a fishing expedition, the very definition of a witch hunt.  Also, as I read the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act upon which Cuccinelli bases his actions [see comments — better source here], it’s probably outside the statute of limitations.

Research that Cuccinelli has targeted to investigate  includes work Mann did with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).  Cuccinelli probably lacks jurisdiction for much of the stuff he wants, trumped by those federal agencies.

Mann is the guy who put together the chart of all the different threads of research that show warming climate, commonly known as the “hockey stick” after Al Gore’s years of presentations on the chart and the movie, “Inconvenient Truths.”  Mann also is among those scientists in U.S. and England whose private e-mails were exposed in the breach of the e-mail servers at England’s Hadley Climate Research Unit.

Three different investigations have put Mann in the clear so far (Penn State’s .pdf of investigation results; response to Texas U.S. Rep. Joe Barton’s assault) — odd that stolen e-mails would produce doubts about the victims of the theft, but ethical standards in science research are indeed that high.  Caesar’s wife couldn’t be considered for research grants.

Why do I think the statute of limitations may apply?  Look at the law, linked above, the Fraud Against Taxpayers Act:

§ 8.01-216.9. Procedure; statute of limitations.

A subpoena requiring the attendance of a witness at a trial or hearing conducted under this article may be served at any place in the Commonwealth.

A civil action under § 8.01-216.4 or 8.01-216.5 may not be brought (i) more than six years after the date on which the violation is committed or (ii) more than three years after the date when facts material to the right of action are known or reasonably should have been known by the official of the Commonwealth charged with responsibility to act in the circumstances, but in that event no more than ten years after the date on which the violation is committed, whichever occurs last.

In any action brought under § 8.01-216.5, the Commonwealth shall be required to prove all essential elements of the cause of action, including damages, by a preponderance of the evidence.

Research at a major research institution like a big, public university involves many layers of regulation and bureaucratic checking.  Generally the university’s research office will require adherence to the school’s ethical code and all state laws up front, and then the auditors check the money flow and research activities through the project.  There is a final sign off at most schools, which would qualify as “the date when facts material to the right of action are known or reasonably should have been known by the official of the Commonwealth charged with responsibility to act in the circumstances.”

Cuccinelli is sending a clear signal to researchers that they are unwelcome in Virginia if their research doesn’t square with his politics — and his politics are weird. Watch to see what the response of the University is, especially if their delivery of documents doesn’t put this witch hunt to bed.

[Update notice:  The text of the law noting the statute of limitations was updated on May 5, to show application to § 801-216.4 as well as § 801-216.5]

Other sources to check:

• Tim Lambert at Deltoid calls it part of the Republican War on Science
• Eli Rabett has the letter from S. Fred Singer that shows how political this is (and good comments from the Smart People feared by Rev. Mummert)
• Wow!  To his credit, Steve McIntyre shows that a scientist can be a climate “skeptic,” and he condemns Cuccinelli’s actions as “overzealous”
• A Few Things Ill Considered provides a few new details and history
• It’s too far for way more commenters than I would have thought at Anthony Watts’s place;  troubling:  One commenter says the far-right wing astroturf group Competitive Enterprise Institute has sued Gavin Schmidt at Goddard (news to me)
• P. Z. Myers is cold, cool, and correct in his comments
• Ed Brayton had noted earlier that Cuccinelli is “crazier than you think” — remember, this is the guy who told Virginia universities they can’t practice non-discrimination against gays, and he’s single-handedly tried to cover up the breast of liberty on the Virginia Seal (an illegal act under Virginia law, entertainingly, to muck with the seal)
• Chris Mooney hit the claxon to warn of Cuccinelli’s actions
• Results of the ethics review already completed by Penn State University on Mann’s research (constructive notification, Mr. Cuccinelli — pay attention, please)
• Richmond Times-Dispatch analysis of Cuccinelli’s first 100 days in office, with no mention of the current witch hunt (good for comparison)
• Fox News
• Charlottesville Daily Progress
• Update, 5-4-2010: Story in The Washington Post
• Nuts-falling-far-from-the-tree department: Cuccinelli is challenging EPA’s decision to regulate greenhouse gases as pollutants, too.
• Update 5-5-2010: This blog, Virginia Qui Tam, tracks citizen investigations such as those authorized by the Fraud Against Taxpayers Act — slightly off track, perhaps, but perhaps not