The White House reportedly wanted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to contradict scientists saying Alabama would not be struck by Hurricane Dorian after President Donald Trump continued to falsely claim the state was in the storms path.

Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to have NOAA repudiate forecasters who pushed back on Trumps claim, according to a report by The New York Times. The stupidity began earlier this month after Trump falsely tweeted that Alabama would be one of the states to be hit by the hurricane.

In pressing NOAAs acting administrator to take action, Mr. Ross warned that top employees at the agency could be fired if the situation was not addressed, The New York Times previously reported. Mr. Rosss spokesman has denied that he threatened to fire anyone, and a senior administration official on Wednesday said Mr. Mulvaney did not tell the commerce secretary to make such a threat.

The release of the NOAA statement provoked complaints that the Trump administration was improperly intervening in the professional weather forecasting system to justify the presidents mistaken assertion. The Commerce Departments inspector general is investigating how that statement came to be issued, saying it could call into question scientific independence.