Exec at opposition research company hired by EPA has been investigating employees who are critical of Trump: report

An executive working at an opposition research firm specializing in digging up dirt has been researching Environmental Protection Agency employees looking at staffers who oppose the policies of President Donald Trump.

According to the New York Times, Allan Blutstein, a vice president for Definers Public Affairs, has submitted dozens of FOIA requests to the EPA --  many of which appear to specifically target employees who have been critical of the Trump administration.

In an interview, Blutstein was candid about what he is looking for.

“I wondered if they were emailing critical things about the agency on government time and how frequently they were corresponding about this,” the exec explained. “And did they do anything that would be useful for Republicans.”

Definers specializes in opposition research, and was previously awarded a $120,000 contract earlier in the year to monitor coverage that is critical of the agency.

Blutstein stated his FOIA are unrelated to the work his firm is already doing for the agency, saying he is investigating the "antiresistance" on the side.

“I am not doing mole hunts, or whatever. I am almost always doing that research on my own,” he said in his defense.