WASHINGTON (AP) — A former photographer at the Department of Energy says he lost his job in retaliation for making public photos of a meeting between Secretary Rick Perry and Robert "Bob" Murray during which the coal baron provided a wish list of policy initiatives that would directly benefit his company.

Simon Edelman has filed a federal whistleblower complaint alleging he was terminated from the agency after he provided the photos to two media outlets. Edelman was inside the March 29 meeting, snapping shots as Murray handed Perry a four-page "action plan" to revive the nation's struggling coal industry.

Copies of the plan were obtained by The Associated Press and other media outlets. It shows many of the proposals provided by the major GOP political donor were later advanced by the Trump administration.