A leading climate scientist has apparently admitted to obtaining and disseminating documents from the anti-climate-change Heartland Institute.

On his blog on the Huffington Post, Peter Gleick, president of the Oakland, California-based Pacific Institute, says that he was sent one of the documents by an anonymous source. After receiving this, he says, “in a serious lapse of my own professional judgment and ethics, I solicited and received additional materials directly from the Heartland Institute under someone else’s name”.

Gleick offered his apologies and expressed “deep regret” over his actions. The Heartland Institute has already threatened to pursue legal action over the leaks.

In a statement issued yesterday after Gleick’s confession, Heartland’s president Joseph Bast said, “We are consulting with legal counsel to determine our next steps and plan to release a more complete statement about the situation tomorrow.”

Nature has not yet been able to obtain a comment from the Pacific Institute or from Gleick.

See also: ‘Climate-gate’ researchers enter Heartland debate