
The federal government's top ethics official is raising serious questions about Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt's potential violations of law.
He added that Pruitt's security spending "somewhat more" than prior EPA chiefs, but said Pruitt had received death threats "because of his bold actions at EPA".
"According to EPA's assistant inspector general, Scott Pruitt has faced an unprecedented amount of death threats against him and his family", Fox quoted EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox as saying.
Pruitt has done a fantastic job of demonstrating what ego and entitlement look like - by requesting a 24/7, 20-person security detail, three times bigger than his predecessor's, and a $43,000 soundproof booth in his office so that EPA employees can't overhear his conversations.
On Saturday, Trump reiterated his support, defending Pruitt's spending and his $50 per night rental arrangement with the lobbyist couple. Trump, however, said last week Pruitt was "doing a great job", and signaled Pruitt would remain in his current role. She only had a security detail during travel.
Pruitt has been heavily criticized over the last few weeks due to excessive spending and possible ethics violations.
Kennedy suggested that Pruitt hold a press conference and discuss some of the negative coverage openly, detailing how he plans to change his behavior and explaining which aspects of the news coverage he doesn't find fair.
"Thus far, Pruitt's conduct has raised no red flags with the EPA's so-called ethics office, which seems to be run by Gordon Gekko", said EWG President Ken Cook.
Furthermore, in addition to Pruitt canceling several of Obama's proposed regulations and rules, recent reports disclosing Pruitt's spending and management raise concern.
Putting Pruitt in this position is like putting a fox in charge of the hen house.
But the Democrats' letter says that the assessments from the US Secret Service identify no "reports of behaviors of interest" against Pruitt, and says that "an internal EPA Intelligence Office report that disputes the administrator's claims that the nature of the threats against him justify his expenditures". The EPA did not respond to AP's request Friday to provide details of "any specific threats or arrests". If confirmed, he would replace the administrator if Pruitt were to get fired or resign. His stature among deep red members of the Republican Party and skills as an environmental lawyer also mean that it would be very hard to push a replacement of equal talent through the Senate in the next six months.
In justifying his constant security, EPA officials have said he has received far more threats than previous administrators - some of them "very personal, ugly threats", an assistant inspector general told The Post a year ago. Pruitt has also spent more than $168,000 on air travel during his first year in office, often flying first class while taxpayers footed the bill but preferring coach when he was paying the costs himself. The EPA official said there are legitimate concerns about Pruitt's safety, given public opposition to his rollbacks of anti-pollution measures.
Related News:
-
Haley: We will respond to Syria attack
Earlier, the United Nations human rights chief said world powers were treating chemical weapons use with a "collective shrug". US Defence Secretary James Mattis yesterday pointed towards Russia's role, and said he would not rule out a military response.Salman Khan Convicted, Gets 5 Yr Jail Term
Salman's lawyers have reached out to the sessions court, which will hear the bail appeal on Friday morning. He was acquitted in the case but the Maharashtra government has filed an appeal.McGregor involved in backstage melee ahead of UFC 223
McGregor has been released on bail after being charged with three counts of assault and one of criminal mischief . In a video posted by TMZ , McGregor is shown lifting a dolly and throwing it into one of the bus' windows. -
FBI Raids Trump Lawyer's Office, Trump Says It's A 'Disgraceful Witch-Hunt'
President Trump slammed the raid to a room of reporters before meeting with military brass to discuss chemical weapons in Syria. Dawn Dearden, spokeswoman for the US attorney's office for the Southern District of NY , declined to comment .Uber launches new app for drivers
Founder Rzepecki has been working on this concept for a decade and was one of the original creators of the dockless bike network. The company's bikes also come with dedicated locks to secure the bikes, according to startup profiling site CrunchBase.Lesnar and McMahon reportedly clash after Wrestlemania main event
Naomi had never been eliminated, however, and returned to the ring to eliminate Bayley and win the inaugural Women's Battle Royal. On Sunday , the 34th annual WrestleMania will be taking place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans , Louisiana. -
Underlying Inflation Shows Signs of Pickup in US
But excluding volatile food and fuel prices, "core" CPI rose 0.2 per cent, matching the consensus forecast. Economists had forecast the CPI unchanged in March and the core CPI rising 0.2 percent.Donald Trump cancels major trip as chemical weapons experts travel to Syria
As NPR reported , Syria accused Israel on Monday of carrying out a raid on the Tiyas air base in central Syria in a pre-dawn raid. The UN Security Council rejected a draft USA resolution, which proposed a new inquiry to establish who was to blame ."Will meet 'Rocketman ' Kim in May or early June": President Trump
North Korea has not broken its public silence on the proposed Trump-Kim summit, which US officials say is being planned for May. The North's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho arrived in Moscow on Monday after stopping in Beijing. -
YouTube to broadcast exclusive live stream from Coachella 2018
Coachella is one of the biggest musical festivals each year, making it nearly impossible to get tickets. Australian acts scheduled are Alison Wonderland, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and Vance Joy .Hungary's Fidesz could pass 'Stop Soros' law in May
Soros' face has appeared in campaign ads and the organizations he funds have been targeted with a so-called "Stop Soros" bill. Two smaller leftist parties, DK and LMP, won nine and eight seats respectively. "This is terrifyingly serious".Dow tumbles on trade war fears
Beijing fired back hours later by threatening tariffs on $50 billion worth of U.S. goods, including cars, planes, and soybeans. Leading the decline were airplane giant Boeing , which fell 3.1%, and heavy-equipment maker Caterpillar , which declined 3.5%.