Trio of Dems ask Trump’s coal-linked UN ambassador to recuse from Paris climate dealings

A trio of Democratic senators is asking President Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations to recuse herself from dealing with the Paris climate accord as the White House prepares to formally withdraw from the landmark agreement.

A letter to Kelly Craft questions if she has too many conflicts of interest to be involved given her financial and personal ties to the industry.

Craft has $63 million invested in coal, oil and natural gas, according to the letter, and she’s the wife of Joe Craft, CEO of Alliance Resource Partners, one of the largest coal companies in the U.S.{mosads}

“Given your extensive family ties to the coal industry, and given that decisions about climate inherently involve decisions about the future of coal, we urge you to agree to recuse yourself from any actions to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement,” wrote Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

The State Department did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Trump has often bragged about withdrawing from the Paris accord, making an announcement in the Rose Garden in 2017 to say he intended to do so.

But the agreement doesn’t allow him to begin the formal yearlong withdrawal process until Monday. The U.S. would officially be out of the deal the same date in 2020 — just one day after the presidential elections.

All signs indicate the White House is gearing up for a formal withdrawal.