The Environmental Case for a Trump Impeachment Inquiry

Friends of the Earth and Friends of the Earth Action have passed a resolution calling for an impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump. The organization argues that Trump poses a fundamental threat to environmental protection by allowing self-dealing within his administration and obstructing the enforcement of environmental laws. Specifically, they cite the conduct of former officials Scott Pruitt and Ryan Zinke, as well as a dramatic decline in EPA inspections and prosecutions, as evidence of a systemic failure to uphold the rule of law in favor of fossil fuel interests.

• Friends of the Earth alleges that Donald Trump violated the emoluments clause by allowing foreign governments, specifically oil-producing nations like Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, to patronize his businesses to gain favor.
• The document cites a pattern of abuse of public office for personal gain among Trump's top officials, noting that former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt used a discounted apartment from an oil lobbyist and former Interior Department head Ryan Zinke was investigated for using tax dollars for vacations and seeking business arrangements with Halliburton in exchange for deregulatory favors.
• The Trump administration is accused of obstructing justice by undermining the ability of environmental agencies to conduct investigations and prosecutions; specifically, the EPA is conducting 60 percent fewer inspections than the average and referring significantly fewer cases to the Justice Department.
• The Government Accountability Office began an investigation in January into the EPA's low enforcement numbers, which the authors argue justifies a deeper congressional investigation into Donald Trump.

APA

Fox, A. (2019). The Environmental Case for a Trump Impeachment Inquiry. Friends of the Earth. https://foe.org/blog/environmental-case-trump-impeachment-inquiry/

Chicago

Fox, Audrey. The Environmental Case for a Trump Impeachment Inquiry. Friends of the Earth, 2019. https://foe.org/blog/environmental-case-trump-impeachment-inquiry/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Fox |first1=Audrey |title=The Environmental Case for a Trump Impeachment Inquiry |publisher=Friends of the Earth |date=24 July 2019 |url=https://foe.org/blog/environmental-case-trump-impeachment-inquiry/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{fox2019environmental, author = {Fox, Audrey}, title = {{The Environmental Case for a Trump Impeachment Inquiry}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://foe.org/blog/environmental-case-trump-impeachment-inquiry/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }