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C-SPAN SCREEN CAPTURE
Look behind David Bernhardt: A woman wearing a Creature mask sat behind during his nomination hearing. |
The Creature from the Black Lagoon made an unscheduled appearance in the Capitol today during the Senate hearing for Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt.
An Asian American woman strategically seated behind Bernhard quietly donned a mask during his opening remarks before the Senate Energy and Natural Committee. CSpan television monitors were the first to spot Irene Kim of Greenpeace put on the mask.
She just sat there, not disrupting the proceedings. "Our purpose was not to disrupt the hearings," Kim said. "It was really to bring an absurdity to hearings."
Kim was joined by Greenpeace's Adrienne Lowry, who also wore a mask but was not visible by the C-Span camera, were eventually escorted out after an hour.
She just sat there, not disrupting the proceedings. "Our purpose was not to disrupt the hearings," Kim said. "It was really to bring an absurdity to hearings."
Kim was joined by Greenpeace's Adrienne Lowry, who also wore a mask but was not visible by the C-Span camera, were eventually escorted out after an hour.
Bernhardt's nomination has come under fire from environmentalists because of his job as a lobbyist for oil and gas industries. Just another conflict of interest example of Donald Trump's nominees for top government positions.
Public Citizen, a progressive consumer advocacy group, claimed Bernhardt has “more conflicts of interest than (former EPA Administrator Scott) Pruitt, (former Interior Secretary Ryan) Zinke, (former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom) Price and [former Veterans Affairs Secretary David] Shulkin combined.”
Public Citizen, a progressive consumer advocacy group, claimed Bernhardt has “more conflicts of interest than (former EPA Administrator Scott) Pruitt, (former Interior Secretary Ryan) Zinke, (former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom) Price and [former Veterans Affairs Secretary David] Shulkin combined.”
The Guardian reports: "Many of Bernhardt’s former clients are lobbying his department now. The California-based Cadiz Inc spent at least $330,000 this year with his old firm, including to lobby the department, according to required disclosures. The interior department’s Bureau of Land Management in October 2017 approved the company’s pipeline to pump groundwater out of the Mojave desert, in a move that prompted lawsuits from environmentalists."
In California, Westlands Water District paid Bernhardt’s firm a total of $1.43m while he was one of its lobbyists, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Westlands has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars this year lobbying Congress and the department, including on changes related to the Endangered Species Act to drain more water from the ecologically fragile California Delta, according to government records.
C-Span tweeted out a video of the hearing and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) shared a screenshot of the Senate hearing, joking that Bernhardt was the real “swamp monster” in the photo.
“But seriously, the US Senate should reject oil lobbyist David Bernhardt’s confirmation,” he added.
“But seriously, the US Senate should reject oil lobbyist David Bernhardt’s confirmation,” he added.
The Creatures were escorted out, but ... not before she made her point.
"I think we inspired a lot of people and made them laugh," said Kim when she was interviewed by Bloomberg News. "We're all feeling powerless now," she continued. "But by doing these small actions, by being the people out there, letting people know what we are thinking about, is the main thing."
"I think we inspired a lot of people and made them laugh," said Kim when she was interviewed by Bloomberg News. "We're all feeling powerless now," she continued. "But by doing these small actions, by being the people out there, letting people know what we are thinking about, is the main thing."
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