Report: Cox tried to bypass Yosemite lottery

The Fresno Bee reported earlier this week e-mails showed an apparent effort by U.S. Representative T.J. Coxd, who represents a portion of Southwestern Tulare County, tried to bypass Yosemite National park’s lottery for vehicle permits for the Independence Day weekend.

Cox requested and eventually received tickets for two cars to enter Yosemite on July 4. Rep. Paul Gosar, Rarizona, who heads the House Western Caucus, said he’s asking the Department of the Interior to provide evidence Cox was at Yosemite for official business. Gosar’s request was first published in the Washington Examiner.

Yosemite National Park gives out a few hundred vehicle passes a day through a lottery process.

In an e-mail on July 1, National Parks staff directed Cox’s staff to apply for passes through the lottery, according to international National Parks emails sent to the House Committee on Natural Resources and published by Gosar.

Cox responded with a person email “to shed light on the purpose of the visit,” the Bee reported. Cox scheduled a phone call with Yosemite deputy superintendent Teri Austin on July 2. Emails state Austin asked for ethics guidance from the Nation Park Service prior to the call.

“Rep. TJ Cox has requested passes for 2 cars for entry to Yosemite on July 4. This is a personal outing. Passes are being distributed by lottery that day, and the Park has said no to his request but told him how to apply. The Congressman is calling the Yosemite Deputy Superintendent on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. to press his request,” Melissa Kuckro, the deputy assistant director for legislative and congressional affairs for the National Parks Service stated in an e-mail. “Attached is the (Department of Interior) Ethics Guide. It does not address the situation, but see page 4, Foundations for Ethical Behavior: ‘You shall act impartially and not give preferential treatment to any private organization or individual.’”

Associate Ethics Counselor for the National Park Service Matthew Bigelow agreed Cox shouldn’t receive any preferential treatment and should only be given the tickets for official business.

“Subsequent telephone interviews with Yosemite Park Service staff indicate that Representative Cox’s call resulted in pressuring the National Park Service staff to change the request from personal to professional and grant him passes,” Gosar wrote. “National Park Service staff indicate this was done due to his status as a member of the Natural Resources Committee and to film a video to accompany the Great American Outdoors Act.”

The Great American Outdoors Act, signed into law by President Donal Trump on Monday, provides funding for much needed maintenance at national parks. It also permanently provides $900 million annually to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which provides funding for local conservation and recreational projects. Cox was the co-sponsor of the Great American Outdoors Act.

It doesn’t appear Cox has used any video from the July 4 visit in any official capacity. When the Bee asked to provide information about the video, Cox’s staff didn’t respond.

But Cox’s campaign manager Amanda Sands stated “This is a meritless partisan attack by the Trump Administration and other desperate Republicans.”

Gosar asked the Department of the Interior to provide “any additional correspondence between National Park Service personnel and Representative Cox’s that would clearly justify the granting of preferential treatment for vehicle entrance passes during the extremely busy 4th of