stooge
/stuːdʒ/
Definition
A person who is used by another, typically a powerful individual or organization, to perform their dirty work or act as a puppet to serve their interests.
Etymology
The word likely emerged in the early 20th century as American slang, possibly as a variant of 'stool pigeon' (an informer). It gained prominence in vaudeville and comedy to describe a performer who acts as a foil or assistant, eventually evolving to describe any subservient tool of another's schemes.
In the news
The article uses the term to describe government officials appointed by the Trump administration to undermine clean energy, suggesting they are mere instruments carrying out the fossil fuel industry's agenda.
Trump can’t stop the clean-energy future, but he’s striving to screw American workers and businesses out of our share of it
Read the full article ↗Daily Kos