Washington, D.C. — Today, published reports revealed that, during his first year on the job as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, Scott Pruitt lived in a Washington, D.C., condo that was co-owned by the wife of a top energy lobbyist. These reports indicate that Pruitt also took a $40,000 first-class trip to Morocco in order to promote exports of liquified natural gas—which the lobbyist was also working to promote. An EPA spokesman has not responded to requests for comment from ABC News. In response, Liz Kennedy, CAP’s senior director of Democracy and Government Reform, issued the following statement:
Today’s news that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt lived in a D.C. condo tied to a top energy lobbyist puts the Trump administration’s culture of corruption on full display. In addition to working to benefit polluting industries over our nation’s health and safety, Pruitt is currently facing multiple ethics investigations for allegedly misusing taxpayer dollars and illegally lobbying. He also has filled the EPA with people with close connections who are working on behalf of the industries they should be regulating. For instance, just last month, after hiring a former lobbyist for Syngenta—a major chemical producer—Pruitt reduced a major fine against the company for endangering their workers through chemical exposure. It is not clear why Pruitt took that action.
The latest revelation takes the appearance of Pruitt’s pay-to-play governing to the next level and is yet another reason that it’s time for him to resign. Congress should demand an investigation into Pruitt’s living arrangements with this lobbyist who was serving as his landlord and release all documents related to his taxpayer-funded trip to Morocco.
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