09.30.21

All 50 Senate Democrats Willing To Vote To Confirm An Eco-Terrorist

Despite It Now Being ‘Widely Known That [Tracy] Stone-Manning Collaborated With A Group Of Eco-Terrorists’ All 50 Senate Democrats Are Willing To Confirm Her To Be Director Of The Bureau Of Land Management, Ignoring Her ‘History Of Criminal Behavior And Disregard For The Laws Of Our Country’

All 50 Senate Democrats voted to clear the last procedural hurdle for Tracy Stone-Manning’s nomination to be Director of the Bureau of Land Management. (PN443, Roll Call Vote #400: Agreed To 50-48; D 48-0; R 0-48; I 2-0, 9/30/2021)

SENATE REPUBLICAN WHIP JOHN THUNE (R-SD): “It is difficult to know exactly what President Biden was thinking when he decided to nominate Ms. Stone-Manning for Director of the Bureau of Land Management. Perhaps the administration’s vetting wasn’t thorough enough. Otherwise, it is pretty difficult to understand why the President would nominate an individual with ties to an ecoterrorist organization--an ecoterrorist organization--to head the Bureau of Land Management. … How are BLM employees and the many Americans who regularly interact with the Bureau of Land Management going to feel about working with Ms. Stone-Manning? Our public lands are used for a variety of purposes, including recreation, livestock grazing, and timber harvesting. What kind of attitude should we expect from Ms. Stone-Manning to display toward timber harvesting? Is this really the best President Biden can do when it comes to the Director of the Bureau of Land Management? …   I hope that my Democratic colleagues will think twice before confirming Ms. Stone-Manning as head of the Bureau of Land Management. Involvement with ecoterrorism should be a disqualifying factor for heading up this Agency.” (Sen. Thune, Congressional Record, S5687-5688, 8/03/2021)

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY), Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member: “[T]he Democrat Leader is bringing to the floor today a nominee of the President of the United States, that [is] apparently endorsed and agreed to by all of the Democrats, who has a history of ecoterrorism and has been involved in such. Confirming a nominee who collaborated with ecoterrorists, lied to the United States Senate, wrote in favor of population control as a problem related to the climate, and promoted the idea that homes built in the forest should be left to burn. This is outrageous. President Biden has nominated someone named Tracy Stone-Manning to serve as the Director of the Bureau of Land Management. Across the west, it is known as the B.L.M. Ms. Stone-Manning lied to the Senate, lied to this very Senate this year, about her past association with an ecoterrorist cell that hammered hundreds and hundreds of metal spikes, about 500 pounds of metal spikes into trees in Idaho, Clearwater National Forest. … Tracy Stone-Manning is a dangerous choice to be put in charge of America’s public lands, and each and every senator who votes to confirm her will be held personally responsible for that vote.” (Sen. Barrasso, Floor Remarks, 9/30/2020)

SEN. JIM RISCH (R-ID), Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Member: “I rise today to join the chorus of my colleagues that are urging that Tracy Stone-Manning not be confirmed and, indeed, not even be discharged from the committee that voted to not send her to the floor for confirmation.  First of all, it is amazing to me that someone with this background has been appointed to this position. Now, I understand she has held some positions in the State of Montana for politicians there, and I don’t comment on that. That is up to them, who they want [to] hire to do that. In Idaho, that has a very, very significant number of acres of BLM ground, we have a different view of how our public resources should be protected and be administered, and this appointee in no way reflects the values we have. This woman is an ecoterrorist. She participated in a conspiracy to murder people who work in the timber industry for a living. She is a perjurer, very recently. And she is someone who is supposed to put out fires and, as late as 2020, has made very disqualifying statements regarding her desire to do that and, indeed, commitment to do that.” (Sen. Risch, Congressional Record, S5086-5087, 7/27/2021)

SEN. STEVE DAINES (R-MT), Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Member: “President Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management, Tracy Stone-Manning, may not have personally spiked trees--that is what the facts have shown as we have investigated--but she covered up a terrifying tree-spiking crime until she faced possible prosecution. … Stone-Manning’s refusal to come forward for 4 years placed the safety of loggers in jeopardy, which is offensive to loggers across our country, from the loggers in Maine, which is the most forested State in the Nation; to loggers in State[s] likes New Hampshire, Georgia; to the forestry, wildlife, and logging groups like Meadow River Hardwood Lumber Company, the Houston Safari Club, the Idaho Logging Council, who withdrew their support or have come out in opposition. Ms. Stone-Manning’s actions matter and should not be accepted by any Senator.” (Sen. Daines, Congressional Record, S5089-5090, 7/27/2021)

REMINDER: In 1989, Biden’s Nominee To Be Director Of The Bureau Of Land Management Sent An Anonymous Letter To The U.S. Forest Service Warning About Spiked Trees ‘And A Lot Of People Could Get Hurt’

“President Biden’s nominee to serve as the head of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) ‘collaborated with eco-terrorists’ in a tree spiking plot before trading her court testimony for legal immunity, according to court documents reviewed by Fox News.” (“Biden Land Management Nominee ‘Collaborated With Eco-Terrorists,’ Traded Testimony For Immunity,” 6/16/2021)

“One spring day in 1989, Tracy Stone rented a typewriter from the University of Montana library and began to retype a letter. The typewriter was to avoid using her personal computer. The letter was an anonymous warning to the U.S. Forest Service that someone had hammered hundreds of metal spikes into trees in an Idaho forest that was slated to be cut down for timber. An acquaintance in her circle of young environmentalists had asked her to send it. After fixing a few spelling mistakes and removing some profanity, Stone dropped it in the mail. … The four-paragraph letter she mailed put it more bluntly. Signed ‘George Hayduke’ — the fictional hero of Edward Abbey’s 1975 novel, ‘The Monkey Wrench Gang,’ about a group plotting to blow up a dam — it said that 500 pounds of eight- to 10-inch spikes had been pounded into the trees because ‘this piece of land is very special to the earth. It is home to the Elk, Deer, Mountain Lions, Birds, and especially the Trees.’ The postscript warned: ‘You bastards go in there anyway and a lot of people could get hurt.’ … Stone-Manning described in testimony that she had no formal or financial role in Earth First but participated in meetings and activities.” (“As A Student, Tracy Stone-Manning Sent A Letter On Behalf Of Eco-Saboteurs. It’s Now Complicating Her Chance To Lead The Bureau Of Land Management.,” The Washington Post, 7/04/2021)

At The Time, The Washington Post Described Tree-Spiking As ‘Eco-Terrorism’

“George Alexander, a third-generation mill worker, was just starting his shift at the Louisiana-Pacific lumber mill in Cloverdale, Calif., when the log that would alter his life rolled down his conveyor belt toward a high-speed saw he was working on. It was May 1987, and Alexander was 23. His job was to split logs. He was nearly three feet away when the log hit his saw and the saw exploded. One half of the blade stuck in the log. The other half hit Alexander in the head, tearing through his safety helmet and face shield. His face was slashed from eye to chin. His teeth were smashed and his jaw was cut in half. Alexander had never even heard of a sabotage tactic called tree spiking until he became a victim of ‘eco-terrorism.’ Someone who objected to tree cutting had imbedded a huge steel spike in the log that violently jammed the saw. … Tree spikes are among the most vicious of the strategies. While the tree is still in the forest, the spike is driven in at an angle so the head is hidden in the bark. It can shatter a chain saw on impact, sending pieces of razor-sharp steel flying.” (“Tree Spiking An ‘Eco-Terrorist’ Tactic,” The Washington Post, 3/05/1990)

Federal Law Enforcement Agents Who Worked The Tree-Spiking Case Said Stone-Manning Was A Target Of The Investigation, Knew She Was Being Investigated, And Refused To Cooperate Until She Was Identified As A Conspirator Years Later

“A retired federal law enforcement agent who investigated the 1989 tree-spiking incident that has consumed Tracy Stone-Manning’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management said investigators suspected her of knowing about the crime before she began to cooperate with the probe. The official, who agreed to talk on the condition he not be identified, said she did not initially help authorities identify two men who were eventually convicted of spiking hundreds of trees in an Idaho national forest. This initial lack of cooperation with law enforcement set the investigation back by several years, he said. ‘She absolutely refused to do anything’ to advance the investigation, the retired officer said.” (“Agent: BLM Nominee Was An Early Target In Tree-Spiking Case,” E&E News, 6/25/2021)

  • “The federal investigator said he considered her a target of the grand jury investigation. Stone-Manning, a graduate student at the University of Montana at the time, was required to submit hair samples, fingerprints, palm samples and a writing sample. That’s because investigators found a sweater at the tree-spiking site, along with a hair sample and short, handwritten note. The origins of the sweater and note were never identified, the former investigator said. … The case went dormant until 1992, when [activist friend John] Blount’s former common-law wife reached out to the FBI to identify Blount and [activist friend Jeffrey] Fairchild as the men who spiked the trees. The woman also told investigators that Stone-Manning is the one who sent the letter to the Clearwater National Forest, the retired investigator said. … The former investigator said that Stone-Manning agreed to testify after this information was presented to her. ‘The only reasons that Tracy Stone-Manning became a cooperator, if you want to call it that, is because she was caught,’ he said.” (“Agent: BLM Nominee Was An Early Target In Tree-Spiking Case,” E&E News, 6/25/2021)

MICHAEL MERKLEY, Retired Special Agent Criminal Investigator for the USDA Forest Service: “Earlier this year, President Biden nominated Tracy Stone-Manning to be director of the BLM and her contentious nomination now awaits a confirmation vote in the Senate. Senators should carefully consider Stone-Manning’s history of criminal behavior and disregard for the laws of our country before casting their votes. It is now widely known that Stone-Manning collaborated with a group of eco-terrorists who spiked trees in the Post Office Timber Sale in Idaho during the spring of 1989. Tree-spiking is a dangerous and illegal practice of hammering a piece of metal into the trunk of a tree in order to sabotage a logger’s blade and safety.  She edited, typed and mailed a threatening letter to the Forest Service on behalf of the tree-spikers. I feel an obligation to come forward because I was the agent charged with investigating this crime and Stone-Manning’s involvement.” (“Michael Merkley, Op-Ed, “Ex-Forest Service Investigator: Biden’s BLM Nominee Colluded With Eco-Terrorists—She Can’t Be Trusted,” Fox News, 9/30/2021)

  • “Throughout her adult life, Tracy Stone-Manning has consistently demonstrated her disregard for the laws of our country—laws designed to protect each and every one of us. She has shown contempt for law enforcement and she colluded with dangerous extremists. Senators should consider the implications of confirming someone who has violated several federal laws. The employees at the Bureau of Land Management deserve honest leadership. The American people should have confidence that the individual in charge of this agency will follow the law, even when the law may be at odds with personal convictions. Tracy Stone-Manning is not that individual.” (“Michael Merkley, Op-Ed, “Ex-Forest Service Investigator: Biden’s BLM Nominee Colluded With Eco-Terrorists—She Can’t Be Trusted,” Fox News, 9/30/2021) 

‘She Was Aware That She Was Being Investigated In 1989 And Again In 1993’ And ‘She Was The Nastiest Of The Suspects’

“A decades-old tree-spiking incident is threatening to bring down President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management. A retired federal investigator involved with the case came forward Wednesday to allege that Tracy Stone-Manning engaged in ‘vulgar, antagonistic, and extremely anti-government’ behavior during the 1989 investigation. … [T]he political heat surrounding her nomination is likely to grow following a letter sent to the Senate Energy Committee by retired U.S. Forest Service criminal investigator Michael Merkley, who said Stone-Manning knew she was under criminal investigation at the time.” (“Biden’s BLM Pick Hit With New Allegations From Former Investigator In Tree-Spiking Case,” Politico, 7/15/2021)

And An Eco-Terrorist Convicted In The Tree-Spiking Incident Says ‘She Knew About It Far In Advance’ And ‘She Had Agreed To Mail The Letter Well In Advance’ Of The Operation

“In a separate interview with E&E News… the environmental activist who coordinated the operation to spike hundreds of trees in an Idaho national forest said Stone-Manning knew of the plan and had agreed weeks in advance to send the anonymous letter warning the Forest Service of the illegal deed. But John Blount, one of two men convicted of spiking the trees, said Stone-Manning did not participate in the plan to outfit hundreds of trees at Clearwater National Forest with nails and metal spikes in an effort to stop a timber sale.” (“Convicted Tree Spiker: Stone-Manning Knew Plans In Advance,” E&E News, 7/15/2021)

However, Responding To A Questionnaire From The Senate Energy And Natural Resources Committee, Stone-Manning Claimed She Had ‘Never Been The Target’ Of A Criminal Investigation

“Senate Republicans have accused Stone-Manning of misrepresenting her involvement in the case, particularly in her written responses to a standardized questionnaire submitted to the committee in May. The document asked whether she had ‘ever been investigated, arrested, or charged by any federal, state or local law enforcement authority for the violation of any federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance, other than a minor traffic offense.’ Stone-Manning answered that she had ‘never been arrested or charged and to my knowledge I have never been the target of such an investigation.’ She did acknowledge in her written answer that, in 1989, ‘I testified before a federal grand jury in Boise, Idaho, as part of an investigation into an alleged tree-spiking incident related to a timber sale. I later testified in a trial that resulted in the conviction of a responsible individual.’” (“Agent: BLM Nominee Was An Early Target In Tree-Spiking Case,” E&E News, 6/25/2021)

SEN. BARRASSO: “Tracy Stone-Manning collaborated with eco-terrorists who had booby trapped trees with metal spikes. She mailed the threatening letter for them and she was part of the cover up. She did not cooperate with investigators until she was caught. Tracy Stone-Manning lied to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee by claiming the tree spiking was ‘alleged’ and that she was never investigated. Now, we have confirmation that neither of those things are true. President Biden must withdraw her nomination.” (Sen. Barrasso, Press Release, 6/28/2021)

SEN. JIM RISCH (R-ID), Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee Member: “Tracy Stone-Manning colluded with eco-terrorists who conducted extremist operations that aimed to maim and kill Idaho’s loggers and sawmill workers. Now she’s nominated to lead the largest land management agency in America… We cannot ask Bureau of Land Management employees to serve under a director who aided those who endangered the land users they work on behalf of each day.” (Sen. Risch, Press Release, 6/16/2021)

Two Former Obama Bureau Of Land Management Officials Have Raised Concerns About Stone-Manning’s Nomination, With One Saying Her Connection To The Tree-Spiking Incidents Is Enough To Disqualify Her

“Republican opposition to Tracy Stone-Manning’s nomination for director of the Bureau of Land Management now has a Democrat and former senior Obama-era official on its side. Bob Abbey, who served as BLM’s Senate-confirmed director during President Obama’s first term in office, said unanswered questions surrounding Stone-Manning’s involvement in a criminal tree-spiking incident on the Clearwater National Forest in Idaho in 1989 are enough to disqualify her from leading the bureau. Abbey, who previously supported Stone-Manning’s nomination and had been a critic of Trump administration BLM policies, joins a number of Republicans who have raised concerns about the incident.” (“Obama BLM Director: Biden Needs A New Nominee,” E&E News, 6/21/2021)

“Another Obama official is raising questions about President Biden’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Tracy Stone-Manning, who is linked to a 1989 eco-terrorist plot. Steve Ellis, who was deputy director of BLM under former President Obama, expressed his concern of what the confirmation of Stone-Manning could do to both the agency and the U.S. Forest Service. Ellis is a near-four decade veteran of both BLM and the Forest Service. He retired from the agency in 2016.” (“Another Obama Official Raises Concerns About Biden Nominee Linked To Eco-Terrorism,” Fox News, 07/26/2021)

  • STEVE ELLIS, President Obama’s Deputy Director of BLM: “Much of the focus seems to be whether this is a Democrat or Republican thing, but the lens I look at this through is as a 38-year career person in both agencies, and that letter she wrote went to my Forest Service colleagues on the Clearwater. … The administration’s got some great initiatives and their agenda for public lands is good, but you need the career employees to implement your agenda successfully across the West… Your leader has got to be respected by career employees and across the landscape, in both blue and red states.” (“Another Obama Official Raises Concerns About Biden Nominee Linked To Eco-Terrorism,” Fox News, 7/26/2021)

Throughout The Confirmation Process, The White House Stood By Stone-Manning, Even As The Interior Secretary Declines To Defend Her And One Official Admitted Her Nomination Was ‘A Massive Vetting Failure By The White House’

SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR DEB HAALAND: “I had not read any of that, senator, and, yes I am the secretary of the Interior, but [Tracy Stone-Manning] is the president’s nominee… I didn’t nominate her. I am here to move the department forward on the president’s priorities, and that’s what I’m focused on at the moment.” (“Barrasso Grills Haaland On Biden’s BLM Nominee, Tree-Spiking During Hearing,” Fox News, 7/27/2021)

NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT JOSH LEDERMAN: “Biden’s nominee to run the Bureau of Land Management under growing scrutiny for her role in a tree spiking plot in the early 1990s and early 1980s. Republican Sen. John Barrasso accusing her of collaborating with ecoterrorists. … But a Biden administration official described this to me as a massive vetting failure by the White House to allow this nominee to go forward despite knowing the headache it would create…” (MSNBC, 7/09/2021)

Even After The Revelations Contradicting Stone-Manning’s Testimony To The Senate, Jen Psaki Says President Biden’s View Hasn’t Changed

REPORTER: “As you know, Senate Republicans have been calling on the President to withdraw his nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management, Tracy Stone-Manning, over connections to this tree spiking incident in 1989. That escalated last week with this former Forest Service investigator coming forward with an account that contradicts what she’s told senators, as well as a man who was convicted in that case. Have those revelations changed the President’s view on that nominee at all?”

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JEN PSAKI: “It has not. He stands by his nominee and looks forward to her getting confirmed.” (White House Press Briefing, 7/19/2021)