An 18-year attorney with the U.S. Department of the Interior has resigned in protest, accusing the agency of systemic legal failures and environmental rollbacks during the Trump administration. In a resignation letter obtained by media outlets, the veteran legal professional—a conservative Christian—criticized what he described as a deliberate undermining of legal standards and environmental protections, including expanded fossil fuel development and weakened regulations. The departure comes amid a broader trend of longtime federal workers and scientists leaving the agency. The letter highlights concerns over offshore drilling and the aggressive push to advance oil and gas extraction.
John Murdock had been working for the agency for 18 years and his resignation comes during an exodus of longtime federal workers and scientists An 18-year veteran of the US Department of the Interior has resigned in protest from the sprawling federal agency, denouncing “a deeply troubling assault on the rule of the law” that took place at the department under Donald Trump.John Murdock, an attorney and self-described conservative Christian, began working for the agency’s legal office in 2002. In his resignation letter, first sent to his supervisor earlier this year and obtained exclusively by the Guardian and Public Domain, Murdock cites “glaring legal flaws” he witnessed within the agency during the course of the Trump administration, as well as concerns over offshore oil and gas drilling, the aggressive push to expand fossil fuels and the flouting of environmental regulation. Continue reading...
