Re: John Kerry's climate office faces GOP Oversight probe over coordination with eco group 'kitchen cabinet'

[John Kerrys Bad Discharge]

On 28 Feb 2022, Lefty Lundquist <lefty_l...@ggmail.com> posted some
news:svjmi7$4q3$8...@dont-email.me:

> Kerry is a traitor and should be banned from government for the rest
> of his life.

FIRST ON FOX: The House Oversight and Accountability Committee is
opening an investigation into the State Department over climate czar
John Kerry's apparent frequent consultations with environmental
activists.

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter Wednesday
to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, demanding his agency share
additional documents and information related to interactions between
Kerry's office and nongovernmental organizations. According to documents
previously obtained by Comer's panel, Kerry's staff have privately
acknowledged a "kitchen cabinet" made up of prominent left-wing eco
groups.

"Meetings with leftist environmental organizations, sometimes
collectively addressed as the 'Kitchen Cabinet,' go far beyond normal
briefings and raise questions regarding possible conflicts of interests
involving SPEC staff’s ties to these groups regarding climate finance
investments," Comer wrote. "The State Department claims the 'Kitchen
Cabinet is an existing group of NGOs that sometimes asks SPEC to brief
them… nothing unusual or below board.'"

"Documents received by the Committee illustrate that the coordination
and briefings are anything but ordinary — a two-way street exists for
the purposes of obtaining ‘off the record’ information, receiving
climate finance consultation, and influencing U.S. foreign policy
positions," the Oversight chairman continued.

BIDEN ADMIN SUED FOR HIDING JOHN KERRY'S STAFF, COORDINATION WITH ECO
GROUPS

Comer's letter pointed to an email sent in November 2022 where a staffer
in Kerry's Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (SPEC)
reached out to several environmental groups, including the Sierra Club,
Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense Fund,
reminding them that a kitchen cabinet meeting held at the time was off
the record.

Additional communications obtained by the committee reveal that the
Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Sequoia Climate Fund
engaged with the SPEC office on climate finance policies.

And another internal State Department email involving SPEC staff
suggests Mark Gallogly, who has been identified as a major Democrat
donor and private equity investor, was hired by Kerry's office to
develop plans for public and private climate financing initiatives.

UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION IS QUIETLY FUELING CLIMATE POLICY, FUNDING
STAFF IN DEM STATES

"The Committee has learned these groups will go as far to hire
independent consultants to provide funding opportunities designated for
placement of U.S. taxpayer dollars — all while receiving preferential
treatment from Envoy Kerry, the SPEC Office, and the State Department
who distribute taxpayer dollars to fund their projects," Comer wrote.

"SPEC staff — past or present — who consult outside groups regarding
climate finance matters require heightened accountability for their ties
to these groups," he continued. "The Committee is troubled by the
frequency and content of financial-related information discussed at ‘off
the record’ meetings between the State Department, SPEC office, and
outside groups considering that the Biden Administration has proposed $1
trillion in climate investments over the next 10 years."

The Oversight inquiry on Wednesday is part of the committee's ongoing
efforts to examine the operations of Kerry and the SPEC office more
broadly.

Shortly after taking office in 2021, President Biden appointed Kerry to
be the U.S. SPEC, a position that hadn't previously existed, didn't
require Senate approval and gave him a spot on the president's Cabinet
and National Security Council. The SPEC office is housed at the State
Department and has an estimated $13.9 million annual budget with
approval for 45 personnel.

However, while Kerry has traveled worldwide, attending high-profile
climate summits and diplomatic engagements in an effort to push a global
transition from fossil fuels to green energy alternatives, his office
has remained tight-lipped about its internal operations and staff
members, sparking criticism from lawmakers, including Comer, who have
demanded greater transparency.

WATCHDOG HITS JOHN KERRY WITH SCIENCE ETHICS COMPLAINT OVER CLIMATE
CHANGE DEATHS CLAIM

In his letter to Blinken, Comer further demanded that the State
Department begin disclosing the identifications and salaries of SPEC
staff. He pointed to a Boston Herald report in January that showed FOIA
documents listing SPEC office staff positions and salaries, but redacted
the names of the individuals in those positions.

According to the Boston Herald, Kerry's staff — in positions such as
"policy analysts" to "senior advisers" — are collectively paid $4.3
million per year. Some unnamed officials are paid as much as $186,680
per year, making them some of the highest-paid individuals in the
federal government.

"The American people deserve to know what is being promised by Secretary
Kerry and SPEC staff in off-the-record meetings with leftist
environmental groups and whether SPEC staff are undermining U.S. foreign
policy, energy policy, and national security policy and discuss climate
investments," Comer wrote.

"SPEC staff’s ties to these groups, in addition to potential foreign
government officials and business interests, require transparency and
accountability," he added.

Meanwhile, the inquiry comes one day after energy watchdog group Power
the Future filed a freedom of information lawsuit against the State
Department, similarly demanding the agency identify Kerry's staff.

"For nearly three years, John Kerry has been jet-setting on the
international climate conference circuit while sending taxpayers the
bill," PTF Executive Director Daniel Turner told Fox News Digital.
"Today, we begin the process of teaching John Kerry and Joe Biden that
they work for the taxpayers. No one should have to waste resources on
litigation, but that is our only option since John Kerry thinks he can
keep his office off the books."

The State Department didn't immediately respond to a request for
comment.

https://news.yahoo.com/john-kerrys-climate-office-faces-192835152.html