World Resources Institute Leadership Tied To Epstein Sex Scandal, Trump Fundraiser
Not a good look . . .
The top brass at one of the nation’s largest environmental groups is in upheaval after one board member was linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and another hosted a controversial fundraiser for President Donald Trump.
The World Resources Institute quietly cut ties with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson after a young woman named the Democrat as one of the powerful men with whom Epstein, the accused pedophile who died Aug. 10 in an apparent suicide in jail, ordered her to have sex. After HuffPost sent questions to a spokesman, WRI emailed its staff late Monday announcing Richardson’s resignation from the board.
The nonprofit is also facing a staff rebellion over its handling of another board member, billionaire real estate developer Stephen Ross, whose fundraiser for the president sparked a high-profile boycott against companies he’s invested in, including the luxury fitness chains Equinox and SoulCycle. “Every healthy organization faces challenges from time to time,” Andrew Steer, WRI’s chief executive, said in an emailed statement. “The key is to use such events as an opportunity to improve the way we operate.”
The twin scandals highlight the growing tension between the work of big environmental groups and the donors whose celebrity or fortunes help fund it. At a moment when the climate crisis is rapidly worsening, the strife at WRI raises questions about what compromises are worth making in pursuit of new resources and expanded reach.
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https://www.huffpost.com/entry/world-resources-institute-board-trump-epstein_n_5d5b52cae4b05f62fbd42050?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGFpbHljbGltYXRlLm9yZy90b3AtZW52aXJvbm1lbnRhbC1ncm91cC1mYWNlcy11cGhlYXZhbC1vdmVyLWJvYXJkcy10aWVzLXRvLWplZmZyZXktZXBzdGVpbi10cnVtcC1odWZmcG9zdC0yNjM5OTM0MDgzLmh0bWw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAE_kUKYRNrpoFTNRqJ6Lrzdh2AL_oPwGDTB65E7hMpqI_Cbx88mHpXKJk8wmDD9T0Q-VhzMAqY1yBajQ3K2c4FTNnYZhc7sJbOIZqGZg72TFC5G9eKBcEZhbj90Yb6IZsEtfL1LeGtBmzyqY21qawdvrJ9jR3QV3cvW7Wn4iPN8T