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EPA Official Resigns Amid Congressional Investigation Into Use of Alias Emails

Feb. 19, 2013 10:15pm

A top official with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under investigation by Congress for allegedly using a private email address to conduct official government business will step down this week.

Region 8 Administrator James Martin plans to resign on Friday, EPA spokeswoman Alisha Johnson confirmed to FoxNews.com.

Martin, like former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, is under fire for allegedly using alias emails to communicate with employees and conduct government business. The EPA is reportedly denying that Martin’s resignation is related to the email investigation.

More from FoxNews.com:

The EPA, according to Politico.com, downplayed the communication as a one-time occurrence.

But the Republican lawmakers wrote that “it does not appear that this transaction was an isolated incident.”

“Rather, the body of emails suggests that you regularly used this personal email account to stay informed on matters relating to your official duties,” they wrote. Further, they said the issue raises concern that he could be trying to “insulate” himself from formal records requests and “circumvent” federal records law.

Sen. David Ritter (R-La.) announced the resignation via a press release on Tuesday.

“Region 8 administrator Martin is likely resigning this week in part because of the open investigation about his use of a non-official email account to conduct official business,” Vitter said. “Now we know that Lisa Jackson’s acting replacement, Bob Perciasepe, appears to have been doing the same thing to dodge the agency’s mandatory record-keeping policy.”

On Friday, the EPA released the second of four collections of emails from Jackson’s “Richard Windsor” alias email account. The emails did, in fact, show that Perciasepe sent an email to Jackson’s alias account using his personal email account.

Jackson resigned from her post as EPA administrator in December partly due to the Justice Department’s decision to release emails in which Jackson used her alias email account, claims a Washington attorney suing the Obama administration for access to Jackson’s alias emails.

At the time, Jackson said she resigned after four years for “new challenges, time with my family and new opportunities to make a difference.”

Critics, like Vitter, want more information regarding what appears on the service to be an attempt to avoid the EPA’s record-keeping requirements.

“EPA owes us all some answers about their absolute disregard for transparency, especially from their acting administrator or any potential nominee to be administrator,” Vitter added. “There’s a lot of information in these emails that warrant further investigations, but it is clear that EPA continues to abuse exemptions under FOIA law with significant redactions of information to avoid transparency.”

 

(H/T: WFB)

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Comments (33)

  • GotMullet
    Posted on February 20, 2013 at 6:21pm

    Sequester the EPA!

    Report this comment

    GotMullet  
  • Mr. H.
    Posted on February 20, 2013 at 9:56am

    Does the EPA actually do anything of merit any more? As it is now it is O’s tool for destroying the coal industry in the USA, and costing thousands of related jobs, and increasing the cost of energy. Carbon is not an environmental problem. People are not an environmental problem unless they are liberal progressives causing an overabundance of unintentional consequences for us. For example: E85 gasoline causes the fuel gauges to malfunction, clogs up fuel systems, clogs up engine sensors, and costs us thousands to repair our automobiles. CFL’s introduce more mercury into the waste disposal stream. Your soggy patch sewer problem is now a wetland and you can not touch it to fix the problem.

    Report this comment

    Mr. H.  
  • h-schoolmom
    Posted on February 20, 2013 at 7:38am

    I would be willing to bet that every single person (of consequence) working for this administration has an alias email account. That’s who these people are.

    Report this comment

    h-schoolmom  
    • offroadjonny
      Posted on February 20, 2013 at 8:54am

      But this Administration swears it is the MOST transparant Administration ! Ofcourse,they only want you to see what they want you to see…no secrets here!

      Report this comment

      offroadjonny  
  • foxdogs
    Posted on February 20, 2013 at 7:35am

    Excuse me, but if this is illegal as some have reported then simply resigning is not enough. He should be prosecuted.

    Report this comment

    foxdogs  
  • RightUnite
    Posted on February 20, 2013 at 6:27am

    Why would someone resign if they did nothing wrong?? This is starting to stink to high heaven….

    Report this comment

    RightUnite  
  • The-Monk
    Posted on February 20, 2013 at 4:46am

    To James Martin the EPA also means…..

    Email Protection Alert

    Did you get the memo? He’s getting his now. LOL

    Report this comment

    The-Monk  
  • rickroland
    Posted on February 20, 2013 at 3:47am

    Resigns? Huh? How about prosecution? I am sure Mr. Holder will be all over that — no, really — without a doubt — like flies on honey — uh, well maybe not….

    Report this comment

    rickroland  
  • dmerwin
    Posted on February 20, 2013 at 1:01am

    This is good news. If congress continues down the chain of command and continues to find this behavior, perhaps the entire EPA will resign and we will not have to dismantle it! And if the trend goes up the chain??????

    Report this comment

    dmerwin  
  • Ghandi was a Republican
    Posted on February 20, 2013 at 12:14am

    Yep. It’s called subversion. Violating the public trust. Send them to jail for a few years. ENFORCE the law. We paid for these bassterds to undermine OUR government?

    Report this comment

    Ghandi was a Republican  
  • Cavallo
    Posted on February 20, 2013 at 12:06am

    The KGB would be ashamed at how these fascist brown shirts are out doing them.

    Report this comment

    Cavallo  
  • Bangstick
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 11:53pm

    Since the person quit, that means all of the legal entanglements, like jail, go away, right? Right?

    Report this comment

    Bangstick  
  • aproudinfidel
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 11:08pm

    So he retires…he’ll still get paid I’ll bet.

    Report this comment

    aproudinfidel  
    • JohnofOregon
      Posted on February 19, 2013 at 11:43pm

      No, he will retire and as payback, contract back as an expert with the agency at 3 times the salary.
      Then the non-profit NGO that he will work for will Lauder government funds through a third party law firm back into congressional campaigns. And that is what the green movement is.

      Report this comment

      JohnofOregon  
  • The Big Mick
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:50pm

    So much for “The Cleanest Most Transparent Administration in History.”
    Pharaoh Bo and his minions just heap new meaning on the old saw: “To LIE like a “n”r.

    Report this comment

    The Big Mick  
  • fastgen1
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:42pm

    What’s the problem, Napolitano has been doing this for 4 years.

    Report this comment

    fastgen1  
  • spfoam1
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:34pm

    This isn’t the first time a government official used an alias email to cover their nefarious activities. Send them to jail.

    Report this comment

    spfoam1  
    • OlefromMN
      Posted on February 19, 2013 at 11:10pm

      I can’t believe people are willing to accept these as single events/offenders. These people learned the trick from someone, and they told two people, and they told two people, and they told two people…

      Not one peep from anybody on a full audit of ALL government agencies tells me that they ALL are corrupt and playing their own games.

      Report this comment

      OlefromMN  
  • DZ-015
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:30pm

    Bureaucrats should learn to live by the rules of their positions or face the consequences.

    Report this comment

    DZ-015  
  • SciPro
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:30pm

    Alias emails .. was the charge .. Ok .

    Report this comment

    SciPro  
  • Salamander
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:28pm

    Congress needs to start cutting the budgets of agencies that don’t manage their assets! EPA could use a ‘haircut’! And, Dept of Commerce, Census–don’t get me started on why one of the first questions on the American Community Survey is: “How many times have you been married?” Sheesh! And it goes on with “How much is your gas bill?” My GOD! These $160,000 bureaucrats must be GENIUS! Just ask the damn gas company–IDIOT! WE, THE TAXPAYERS ARE PAYING FOR THIS GROSS INCOMPETENCE!

    Report this comment

    Salamander  
  • SciPro
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:27pm

    This is really getting out-of-hand, condemning a person for using ‘emails’ to communicate with staff, really … but then again one can get condemned for being white, or or looking upward, or looking downward, or owning a gun, or breathing and on and on and on …. That’s why .. I never get lost, “there is always someone wanting to tell me where to go and how to get there” …

    Report this comment

    SciPro  
  • woodyee
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:27pm

    Dig deep, Blaze…those bass terds were using the power vested in them by cowardly politicians, to make money by going after some businesses and favoring others. The private emails were to hide their deeds.

    Just speculating…with little doubt…

    Report this comment

    woodyee  
  • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:27pm

    The guilty run, like roaches when the lights come on.

    Report this comment

    Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
  • media-bias-steals-elections
    Posted on February 19, 2013 at 10:25pm

    Maybe government employees should be treated with the same fines that businesses face if they don’t keep email records mandated by law?

    That’s the reason they used private email addresses, so FOI rules could be averted? That’s what the “Deli Lama Obama” did not turn in his phone for the government issued version?

    It was too complicated for him to use, but President Bush somehow managed ok?

    And the press was silent?

    Report this comment

    media-bias-steals-elections  

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