Leaving glasses aside, the South Lawn Commons auditorium was half-full for Ken Cuccinelli. Virginia’s Attorney General spoke to UVA’s College Republicans—along with faculty members from the school’s Department of Environmental Science, and students who weighed in on Cuccinelli’s latest subpoena for information on grants received by former UVA climate scientist Michael Mann.
UVA Environmental Science graduate students hold up signs of the times for Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s Wednesday appearance at UVA.
Asked to speak about his latest subpoena for information pertaining to Mann’s grants, Cuccinelli said he reissued it according to Peatross’ ruling, which he said he also plans to appeal.
Cuccinelli is investigating Mann under Virginia’s Fraud Against Taxpayers Act (FATA). His latest subpoena requests information for a grant Mann received to study plant life in the African savannah, and focuses its attention on papers mentioned in Mann’s curriculum vitae.
Environmental Sciences Professor Howard Epstein told C-VILLE that, despite the failure of Cuccinelli’s first subpoenas, the Attorney General’s second attempt leaves his department "more concerned because of the nature of the attack, which is on Mike’s resume." The research in Mann’s CV has "been vetted by the scientific community," said Epstein.
Albemarle County Circuit Court Judge Paul Peatross set aside Cuccinelli’s first civil investigative demands in August, after he found that subpoenas issued under FATA failed to clearly show false information or fraud.
Cuccinelli, who is back in Richmond District Court on Monday to debate the "individual mandate" of federal healthcare legislation, maintained that the federal government is attempting to unconstitutionally regulate interstate commerce.
"Take ‘health insurance’ out of the case and put ‘buying Chevrolets’ in. The case doesn’t change one bit," said Cuccinelli. He also said the Medicaid Fraud section of his office is growing by 50 percent, "because there is so much healthcare fraud."
After AG Cuccinelli thanked students for their civility and politeness, he left through the back of the auditorium, followed by two uniformed police officers and students who chanted, "Hey hey, ho ho, Cuccinelli’s got to go."
