DEEP STATE: Is This EPA Lawyer Undermining Trump’s Agenda From Within?
An Environmental Protection Agency lawyer and union leader has signed a dissent letter opposing President Donald Trump’s policy at the agency and has posted on social media attacking EPA Director Lee Zeldin, but appears to still be employed there.
This activity raises questions as to whether she might be a “deep state” actor, working to undermine Trump’s policies from within the administration.
Nicole Cantello serves as president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 704, the EPA’s labor union. A verified LinkedIn profile lists her as an attorney at the EPA.
Declaration of Dissent
On June 30, 2025, Cantello signed a “Declaration of Dissent” addressed to Zeldin.
“EPA employees join in solidarity with employees across the federal government in opposing this administration’s policies, including those that undermine the EPA mission of protecting human health and the environment,” the letter states. “Today, we stand together in dissent against the current administration’s focus on harmful deregulation, mischaracterization of previous EPA actions, and disregard for scientific expertise.”
This letter expresses a “deep state” attitude reflected in a poll from last year.
An RMG Research poll found that 75% of Washington, D.C.-area federal employees who made at least $150,000 a year and who voted for Kamala Harris in 2024 would disobey a lawful Trump order if they considered it bad policy.
The letter took a hostile stance to the new administration’s policy objectives, condemning Zeldin’s exposure of “green slush funds,” accusing the EPA of ignoring science, championing “environmental justice” against the administration’s priorities, and claiming the administration created a “culture of fear” by firing federal workers. Many of these complaints trace back to ideological disagreements with the Trump agenda.
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