May 01, 2018
By Benjamin Siegel, Stephanie Ebbs, Kyra Phillips –
The House Oversight Committee is expected to interview Environmental Protection AgencyAdministrator Scott Pruitt’s former head of security Wednesday, the latest indication that Pruitt still faces scrutiny from Congress after back-to-back hearings last week.
Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta, a former Secret Service agent whose career in law enforcement included a stint investigating the Gambino crime family for the Bronx district attorney in New York City, led Pruitt’s 24-hour security detail, putting him at the center of several of the ethics and spending episodes under review by the EPA inspector general and congressional investigators.
In a phone interview Tuesday morning, Perrotta, who said he left his job at the EPA Monday, said he plans to “fully cooperate and answer any and all questions” from Congress, starting with the transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee Wednesday.
“All of this press is taking a toll on my family. I decided to move on and it’s been an honor to serve,” he said.
The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is “to protect human health and the environment.” Disgraced EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt tried his best to undermine this vital mission by choosing to slash critical health protections and let corporate polluters off the hook. Now that Pruitt’s been booted, we need an EPA administrator dedicated to undoing his toxic agenda and restoring the agency to its core mission. Progress is possible and necessary – but another corporate crony or climate skeptic will not get us there.
Scott Pruitt is gone, but the fight is just beginning. We need an EPA administrator who puts our health and environment first, period. Any alternative is unacceptable.
