Biden Bureau of Land Management nominee linked to eco-terror plot
Congressional correspondent Chad Pergram discusses the controversial nomination on 'The Story'
Seventy-five Republican House lawmakers have come out in opposition to President Biden’s embattled nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Tracy Stone-Manning.
The congressmen, led by House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., called on the president to withdraw his nomination of Stone-Manning for BLM director.
Stone-Manning has come under serious fire from Republicans over the course of her nomination and has seen support dwindle, even from conservation groups and Obama-era BLM officials.
BIDEN LAND MANAGEMENT NOMINEE ‘COLLABORATED WITH ECO-TERRORISTS,’ TRADED TESTIMONY FOR IMMUNITY
"Since her nomination, Ms. Stone-Manning’s ties to eco-terrorism have given us grave concerns over her ability and qualifications to serve as BLM Director," the lawmakers wrote in a letter on Wednesday.
"These concerns have only multiplied as more information about Ms. Stone-Manning’s extremist activities came to light and some of her supporters rescinded their endorsement, including former Obama Administration BLM Director Bob Abbey," they continued."
The lawmakers wrote that the primary reason they are against Stone-Manning’s nomination is her involvement in a 1989 tree-spiking plot in Idaho.
Tree spiking is a dangerous and violent eco-terrorism tactic where metal rods are inserted into trees to prevent them from being cut down. The metal rods damage saws that, in turn, have severely injured people, such as a mill worker whose jaw was split in two from an exploding saw.
"At its worst, tree spiking is lethal to loggers, firefighters, mill workers and land managers, and at its best, causes life-altering injuries," the lawmakers wrote. "Those who employ these tactics know exactly what they are doing. Ms. Stone-Manning is no exception."
Tracy Stone-Manning listens during a confirmation hearing for her to be the director of the Bureau of Land Management, during a hearing of the Senate Energy and National Resources Committee on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, June 8, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
In 1993, Stone-Manning was granted legal immunity for her testimony that she retyped and sent an anonymous letter to the U.S. Forest Service on behalf of John P. Blount, her former roommate and friend.
The letter told the Forest Service that 500 pounds of "spikes measuring 8 to 10 inches in length" had been jammed into the trees of the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho.
The group also noted that a retired federal agent pushed back against Stone-Manning’s committee questionnaire responses claiming to not have been under investigation for the plot and her sharing of her husband’s article calling for letting houses caught in forest fires "burn."
"There is no doubt that someone with this history of extreme, violent views should not be in a position of authority at an agency responsible for managing 245 million acres of federal lands and 700 million acres of mineral estate," the letter reads.
"Disappointingly, despite Ms. Stone-Manning’s extremist views, your administration continues to support her nomination," they also wrote. "Just nine days ago, even after further evidence of Ms. Stone-Manning’s inadequacies, when White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about your views on Ms. Stone-Manning’s nomination, she replied, ‘[President Biden] stands by his nominee and looks forward to getting her confirmed.’"
The lawmakers said they found Stone-Manning to be "unfit to serve the American people" in light of her "extremist views," and said the president’s "continued backing of her nomination is deeply troubling."
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Republican Conference chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., joined Westerman on the letter, asking Biden to withdraw her nomination.
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Every single Democrat in the Senate voted Tuesday to advance Stone-Manning’s nomination to the floor for a full vote, which could happen as early as Monday.
The White House did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
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