President Uses Recess Appointment to Install Islam Siddiqui

I could kind of, sort of live with the other stuff, but President Obama’s recess appointment earlier this week of Islam Siddiqui as the chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the United States Trade Representative really upset me.

According to the Pesticide Action Network’s press release following the president’s end-run around the Senate, “Siddiqui is a former pesticide lobbyist and vice president of regulatory affairs for CropLife America, a lobbying group representing the interests of pesticide and biotech corporations.”

Not surprisingly, Siddiqui’s allegiances seem to lie more with agribusiness than the public.

Click here to read PAN’s full press release.

Click here to read Barry Estabrook’s stinging article (on The Atlantic’s website) about Siddiqui’s appointment.