Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who chairs the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, has used his subpoena powers liberally to seek the e-mails of climate scientists in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Even before getting the evidence he claims he needs, however, Smith has accused NOAA of scientific dishonesty.

Rep. Smith and the 12 other Republicans on the committee have now turned their sights on a new target—actually, on 25 new targets. On Wednesday, letters were sent to 17 state attorneys general and eight environmental groups demanding e-mails and documents related to recent efforts to investigate Exxon Mobil’s past campaigns to downplay climate change.

Stories by Inside Climate News and the Los Angeles Times described climate research by Exxon scientists in the 1970s and 1980s. At the time, Exxon’s own scientists apparently made it clear to leadership that climate change was a threat. Building on those revelations, momentum has been building behind the accusation that Exxon intentionally mislead its shareholders (and the public) about climate change, both via its own company statements and through the funding of contrarian think tanks. Several attorneys general are now pursuing investigations of consumer and securities fraud akin to the investigations that damaged the tobacco industry in the 1990s—it's too early to know if these accusations have similar merits.

Most recently, the attorney general of the US Virgin Islands subpoenaed Exxon for relevant communications with a long list of think tanks and lobbying groups, as well as with some specific scientists inside and outside the company. The goal is to discover whether Exxon’s internal discussions reveal awareness and acceptance of the science even as its external campaigns cast doubt on it.

The letters from House Science Committee Republicans allege collusion between the attorneys general and environmental groups constituting “an abuse of prosecutorial discretion.” They refer to the Exxon investigations as “a coordinated attempt to attack the First Amendment rights of American citizens and their ability to fund and conduct scientific research free from intimidation and threats of prosecution.”

If that sentence strikes you between the eyes and leaves you blinking, it could be because securities fraud isn’t a First Amendment right or an issue of academic freedom. Or it could be because these same politicians have been haranguing NOAA climate scientists whose published research they didn’t like. It’s sort of a “pot calling the kettle a black hole” situation.

The letters demand all relevant documents and communications between any combination of the attorneys general, the environmental groups, the Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Obama Administration.

If the Exxon investigations continue, we can expect the political rhetoric to heat up as well. Just a few days ago, the attorneys general of Texas and Alabama filed to block the US Virgin Islands’ subpoena.