Controversial Energy Dept. Official Resigns

HONOLULU – Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, on Sept. 1 released the following statement on William Bradford’s resignation as director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Indian Energy after media reports exposed bigoted and misogynistic comments he had made online:

William C. Bradford

“I welcome William Bradford’s resignation from his position as the director of the Office of Indian Energy. His many offensive online statements, including that the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II was ‘necessary,’ are truly beyond the pale, especially as he was appointed to lead an office that serves minority communities.

“It remains deeply troubling, however, that Bradford is only one of a number of top Trump Administration officials with a history of racist and misogynistic views. Secretary [Rick] Perry has still not provided me with an explanation of how Bradford cleared the Department of Energy’s vetting process despite his repugnant online history. I expect these answers to be forthcoming from the department.”

In June, Hirono led a letter from committee members calling on Perry to fire Bradford based on his offensive online statements. Perry did not reply.

The letter read, in part, “The internment of Japanese Americans was deeply immoral and serves as a reminder of what can happen when our country succumbs to fear. It is a shameful chapter that many have dedicated themselves to ensuring never happens again. Public officials in leadership positions have the responsibility to serve all Americans regardless of race, gender, and religion. These officials must be held to the highest standards of conduct. Dr. Bradford’s divisive rhetoric has no place in public service.”

The letter was also signed by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).

In other tweets, Bradford called President Obama “a Kenyan creampuff” controlled by Iran and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg a “little arrogant self-hating Jew.”

Bradford, who later apologized for the offensive tweets, said in an email to The Washington Post, “I resigned because I reached the conclusion over the previous four months that the best way to serve the President, the USA, and Indian Country would be from a position beyond the constraints I experienced. I look forward to helping make America great again in another role.”