Although several investigations in Great Britain and the US have not turned up evidence of fraud, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli continues to use the Freedom of Information Act to demand climate-change scientist Michael Mann’s research documents.
The Washington Post reports that the September 29th demand specifically calls for documents from a $214,700 state grant—one of the five Mann received in his six years at UVA. The research grant included two documents that Cuccinelli claims contained false information.
UVA maintains its stance on academic freedom and it has been assisted by the Hogan Lovells law firm, which was retained in May in a response to Cuccinelli’s first request.
Cuccinelli’s request has shrunk from his original demand for a slew of data, including documents, research material, and email correspondence in all five of Mann’s research grants, to one particular grant.
However, he still questions the conduct of the scientist in obtaining these grants, which could threaten Virginia’s Fraud Against Taxpayers Act (FATA). In August, Albemarle County Judge Paul Peatross waived Cuccinelli’s subpeona, ruling that the attorney general did not comply with the FATA requirement of a clear statement of “the nature of the conduct constituting the alleged violation."
The demand document gives UVA until October 29 to comply.