DEEP STATE ACTOR? Ex-Obama Staffer Regulating Energy in Trump Admin Worked for Climate Activist Groups
- November 16, 2025
Tyler O’Neil, The Daily Signal
A former staffer in the Barack Obama White House who went to work for climate activist groups joined a federal agency regulating energy under President Joe Biden and appears to still remain in his post under Donald Trump.
The staffer, Brett Cozzolino Bhave, has set off alarm bells among conservatives who support the Trump administration’s approach to energy and climate.
“During my time in the federal government, I learned that the idea that the federal government is staffed entirely with public servants who show up every day to do their jobs in an apolitical fashion is a myth,” Michael Chamberlain, president of the nonprofit watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust, told The Daily Signal. “While the number of activists in the civil service may be small, it is large enough to cause problems in an administration they disagree with.”