April 02, 2018

PRUITT SCANDAL TIMELINE AND BACKGROUND

Lobbyist Condo Scandal

• 3/29/18: ABC News reports that Pruitt lived in the condominium of a lobbyist, whose husband is a major energy lobbyist with clients like Exxon and Oklahoma Gas & Electric, that have business before EPA. EPA claims Pruitt paid market rate, used only one room.
• 3/29/18: Bloomberg News reports that Pruitt paid $50 per night, far below market value for that area, and only paid on nights he stayed there (it was left vacant on other nights).
• 3/30/18 Former John McCain aide John Weaver calls Pruitt “completely devoid of ethical standards. He won’t survive a real investigation.”
• 3/31/18: ABC News reports that a second room in the condo was used by the Pruitt family.
• 3/31/18: CBS News reports that the downstairs area of the condo was sometimes used for Republican political fundraisers.
• 3/31/18 Former GOP Congressman David Jolly says “Pruitt and his in-kind contributors should be subject to criminal investigation by DoJ.”
• 4/1/18: On ABC’s This Week, Former Republican Governor Chris Christie says, he “doesn’t know how Pruitt survives this” and that “If Mr. Pruitt’s going to go, it’s because he should’ve never been there in the first place.”
• 4/2/18: Experts say ethics approval of condo deal was “rushed.”

Ongoing Pruitt Scandals

FIRST CLASS FLIGHTS: It was revealed that Pruitt often flew first class or charter and military planes at very high cost to taxpayers. Pruitt claimed that harsh public comments required him to fly first class. EPA Inspector General is investigating.

SECRET PHONE BOOTH: Pruitt had a secure communications facility installed next to his office at a cost of $43,000, despite the fact that EPA already has a secure communications facility on another floor. The EPA Inspector General is investigating.

SECRET SCHEDULE: In contrast to long-standing EPA practice, begun by President Reagan’s EPA chief William Ruckelshaus, Pruitt kept his schedule of events secret until forced to release it. The schedule us now is only released retrospectively, with major details redacted.

INSIDER INFLUENCE: Following a meeting with Fitzgerald Trucks, EPA created a loophole for the company’s high polluting trucks. Pruitt met with the American Petroleum Institute as EPA attempted to lift limits on methane pollution from oil and gas operations. Pruitt met with Pebble Limited Partnership, a Canadian mining company, then cleared the way for their mining operation that threatened Alaskan fishing with pollution. The pattern has been repeated in other cases.

PARTISAN MONITORING OF EMPLOYEES: A partisan political firm with an EPA contract to do “media monitoring” investigated the personal political leans of EPA employees suspected of not supporting the Trump administration.