Two top National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials who played a role in the high-profile \u201cSharpiegate\u201d investigation at the agency were placed on administrative leave this week. <\/p>\n
Stephen Volz, the assistant administrator of NOAA\u2019s Satellite and Information Service, and Jeff Dillen, a deputy general counsel at NOAA, were placed on leave Thursday morning, Volz told NBC News.<\/p>\n
Volz and Dillen were figures in the controversy during the first Trump presidency that came to be known as \u201cSharpiegate<\/a>,\u201d in which forecasters were rebuked for contradicting the president over a crude alteration to a hurricane map.<\/p>\n NOAA confirmed Friday that the two men had been placed on leave. <\/p>\n \u201cMr. Dillen was placed on administrative leave by the department\u2019s senior career attorney pending a review of performance issues over the past several weeks,\u201d Kim Doster, NOAA communications director, said in an emailed statement. \u201cSeparately, Dr. Volz was placed on administrative leave on an unrelated matter.\u201d<\/p>\n When reached by phone, Dillen declined to comment. <\/p>\n The high-profile move comes at a tenuous time for NOAA, which is down hundreds of employees after staffing cuts and voluntary buyouts<\/a> implemented by the Trump administration. The staffing and performance of the National Weather Service, which is part of NOAA, have been under intense scrutiny after recent extreme weather events, including deadly Central Texas flooding<\/a>. <\/p>\n The agency is without a leader as Neil Jacobs, President Donald Trump\u2019s nominee, awaits Senate confirmation. NOAA\u2019s spending is also under close review. The Trump administration has proposed deep cuts to the agency\u2019s budget, though Congress has signaled it won\u2019t implement such severe budget restrictions.<\/p>\n The news that Volz and Dillen were placed on leave was first reported by CNN<\/a>. <\/p>\n In an interview, Volz said he received the news Thursday morning in a letter from acting NOAA Administrator Laura Grimm. <\/p>\n \u201cThe letter itself gave no information about the cause. It said, \u2018You are on administrative leave pending an investigation into your recent public conduct,\u2019\u201d Volz said Friday, adding that he had \u201cno idea\u201d what was being investigated. <\/p>\n He said part of his job is to speak at public events, and he recently took part in a news conference at a satellite launch in Japan, among other events. Volz, who has worked in public service for 36 years, said he had not changed his approach to media or public speaking since the new administration took over. <\/p>\n \u201cI give public comments on a routine basis, and I\u2019ve done that my entire time at NOAA. I haven\u2019t adjusted that. I\u2019m cautious about my personal opinions,\u201d Volz said. \u201cI have not been reticent about communicating the work we do and the challenging circumstances we\u2019re under. That\u2019s probably more out front than many other people in similar positions at NOAA.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Volz and Dillen played roles in the aftermath of the \u201cSharpiegate\u201d incident in 2019. At the time, Trump incorrectly said Hurricane Dorian could strike Alabama. But, the local weather forecasting office in Birmingham denied the state was at risk. Trump then showed reporters an altered hurricane path marked with a black Sharpie. Later, top NOAA officials rebuked the local forecasters amid perceived political pressure. <\/p>\n After the event, NOAA hired the National Academy of Public Administration to perform an independent assessment into allegations of scientific misconduct during the incident. The investigation found that Jacobs violated NOAA\u2019s ethics policies<\/a>. <\/p>\n