Our Tweet Ended Kathleen Sgamma’s Bid to Lead Trump Public Lands Agency
Memo Revealed Sgamma Was 'Disgusted' by Trump's Role in Inciting Jan. 6 Violence
On Tuesday morning, I posted on social media a private memo from Kathleen Sgamma that revealed criticism of Donald Trump from within his own circle. Trump is well known to demand absolute loyalty from his nominees. By Thursday afternoon, just hours before her confirmation hearing, Kathleen Sgamma withdrew her nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management. It has been widely reported that it was the memo that forced her out.
In February Donald Trump nominated Sgamma to oversee the BLM. Few were surprised by his choice. Sgamma has been a longtime advocate for the oil and gas industry and president of the Western Energy Alliance, a prominent trade group representing the industry.
Trump's position on climate change has been well reported since before his first term. Since his 2020 victory, he has openly pushed for expanded drilling, vowed to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, and said (once again), "We will drill, baby, drill," during his inauguration address.
During that speech, Trump also stated that the U.S. has the “largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth—and we are going to use it.”
Sgamma seemed like a natural fit, albeit one that was horrifying for many environmental groups. Taylor McKinnon of the Center for Biological Diversity called her nomination an "unmitigated disaster," citing her "breathtaking disdain" for protecting public lands.
But behind the scenes, we uncovered a revealing internal memo buried among internal Western Energy Alliance documents from 2021, written by Sgamma to the group's member companies. In it, she strongly criticized Trump’s actions around January 6th.
Crucially, the Sgamma memo was sent to WEA members on January 7th, amid intense political backlash following the January 6th attack on the Capitol, and when Trump's leadership faced widespread condemnation and calls for impeachment. Some dissent (or honesty) was possible in that brief window.
In the memo, Sgamma expressed being “disgusted” by the violence on January 6th, placing blame squarely on Trump’s "role in spreading misinformation that incited it.” She went further, offering supportive words to incoming President Joe Biden, hoping he could restore “normalcy and moderation” to a nation shaken by unrest—even as she openly acknowledged their obvious policy differences.
Here is what Sgamma wrote in 2021:
I don’t usually bother you with reactions to major events shaping the country and world, because there is plenty of coverage on those. We take positions on issues in our portfolio, and I usually do not like to stray into larger issues that are outside the lanes directed by our committees and boards. We stick to our issues in social media, and I personally limit engagement on most other issues because of my professional position and general intolerance for a medium that quickly devolves into people yelling past each other.
However, the events yesterday at the Capitol were so shocking that our policy engagement with and PAC support for the Trump Administration compels me to speak up. I am disgusted by the violence witnessed yesterday and President Trump’s role in spreading misinformation that incited it. I’m disgusted he discredited all the good work he did reorienting the judiciary back toward respect for the rule of law and constitution by dishonoring the vote of the People and the rulings of those very same judges on his numerous challenges. I’m disheartened he besmirched his smart, well-intentioned people in the agencies who did such good work on important policies that advance the crucial mission of making life-sustaining, affordable energy accessible to all Americans, no matter their race, gender, and political orientation.
Senator Mike Lee, Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources announced Ms. Sgamma's withdrawal as the committee gathered on Thursday. “We accept her withdrawal and look forward to putting forth another nominee,” said a White House spokesperson.
Former Trump Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, now in private practice at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, tweeted after the withdrawal: "Individuals who know their views don’t align with the president, yet seek political appointments hoping such divergence won't be noticed, cause needless harm. Sad. Self-inflicted."