John Murdock, a self-described conservative Christian who began working for the Interior Department's legal office in 2002, officially left the agency on 30 September. In his resignation letter, first sent to his supervisor earlier this year and obtained by the Guardian and Public Domain, Murdock said he grew especially concerned about the actions of a top official at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the agency that oversees offshore oil and gas drilling.
Murdock's decision to resign in protest stemmed in part from an incident last December involving Matt Giacona, the acting director of BOEM. The resignation letter describes 'glaring legal flaws' Murdock witnessed during the Trump administration, including the aggressive push to expand fossil fuels and disregard for environmental regulation.
'We are headed in the wrong direction,' Murdock wrote.
His departure comes amid a broader exodus of longtime government workers and scientists from federal agencies, including the Interior Department, which has lost thousands of employees since efforts by Elon Musk's so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) to slash government employment began.
'Sadly, I am but one of many civil servants who have departed the government under less than ideal circumstances in recent years. If my story helps others or in some small way assists in preserving the rule of law, I am willing to share it,' Murdock said.