Scientists protest over Trump ally’s position at Natural History Museum

Members of the science community are protesting prominent Trump ally Rebekah Mercer’s role on the board of trustees at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. 

Over 200 scientists and academics drafted a letter on Thursday urging the museum to take Mercer off of the board, in addition to serving “ties to anti-science propagandists and funders of climate science misinformation.”

The letter was spearheaded by the separate, nonprofit Natural History Museum. 

{mosads}”We ask the American Museum of Natural History, and all public science museums, to end ties to anti-science propagandists and funders of climate science misinformation, and to have Rebekah Mercer leave the American Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees,” the letter reads. 

“The most important asset any museum has is its credibility. This can be damaged by ties to donors and board members who are publicly known for investing in climate science obfuscation and opposing environmental solutions.”

The letter cites the Mercer family’s involvement behind Breitbart News, as well as Rebekah Mercer’s role on the Trump transition team, in which she “nominated climate denier Arthur Robinson” to be considered for a role as a national science adviser. 

The family has donated to organizations, such as the Heartland Institute in Illinois, which deny the scientific community’s finding that climate change has been fueled by fossil fuels. 

Mercer has served on the board since 2013. 

A similar effort to remove conservative mega-donor David Koch was made in 2015 before he resigned less than a year later. 

Koch and the museum said the resignation was unrelated to the efforts to oust him.