Scott Pruitt's EPA Corruption: First-Class Travel, Condo Deal, Sweetheart Favors
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Pruitt's EPA tenure was defined by serial self-dealing: he flew first-class and chartered government planes citing 'security threats' that his own security detail denied, leased a Capitol Hill condo for $50/night from the wife of an energy lobbyist (when the EPA was processing that lobbyist's clients' cases), directed his security detail to run personal errands and sourced a used mattress from Trump International Hotel, and asked his scheduler to seek Chick-fil-A franchise opportunities for his wife. He resigned in July 2018 as 14 separate federal ethics investigations were underway.
Overview
Scott Pruitt spent 17 months running the Environmental Protection Agency as a vehicle for two simultaneous projects: dismantling environmental regulations to benefit the fossil fuel industry that had funded his political career, and enriching himself.
The self-enrichment was documented in granular detail. Pruitt accumulated 14 active federal ethics investigations before resigning — a number that is not a summary of complex questions but a headcount of documented violations.
The Condo
The condo arrangement with Vicki Hart — wife of energy lobbyist J. Steven Hart — exemplified the structural conflict. Pruitt paid $50/night, with rent due only on nights he occupied the room. The fair market rate for Capitol Hill was several times higher. His daughter also used a bedroom at the unit without paying.
While Pruitt maintained this arrangement, the EPA was processing regulatory matters that affected companies that Steven Hart represented as a lobbyist. The EPA's ethics office later determined the arrangement violated federal ethics rules.
The Security Detail
Pruitt maintained a 24/7 security detail — unusual for an EPA administrator, at a cost that nearly tripled what his predecessor spent. The detail was used for more than security: agents picked up dry cleaning, ran to search for a specific Ritz-Carlton hand lotion, and drove his family members.
The $43,000 soundproof phone booth installed in his office was built to prevent eavesdropping on sensitive calls. It proved structurally unsafe and was later removed.
The Pattern
Pruitt's corruption was banal in its specificity. The Chick-fil-A franchise inquiry. The used Trump Hotel mattress. The first-class seats. None of it was about ideology; it was about a man who believed the power of his office was personal property.
Trump defended him repeatedly, praising his deregulatory work. The EPA under Pruitt rolled back more than 85 environmental rules. The corruption and the deregulation were part of the same operating theory: federal power exists to serve those who wield it.
Timeline
Sequence of events
January 20, 2017
Pruitt confirmed as EPA Administrator
Pruitt is confirmed along party lines. As Oklahoma AG he had sued the EPA 14 times; his appointment was widely understood as a directive to roll back environmental regulations.
December 1, 2017
First-class flight spending reported
Reporting reveals Pruitt has been flying first-class or on charter flights at taxpayer expense, justifying the cost on vague security grounds. The EPA Inspector General opens a review.
March 7, 2018
Condo deal reported
The Washington Post reports that Pruitt had leased a Capitol Hill condo room from J. Steven Hart's wife Vicki for $50/night — far below market rate for the neighborhood — while the EPA processed regulatory cases affecting Hart's lobbying clients.
June 1, 2018
Chick-fil-A and personal-errands stories published
Additional reporting documents that Pruitt asked his scheduler to help his wife obtain a Chick-fil-A franchise and directed security agents to perform personal errands. The number of active investigations reaches double digits.
July 5, 2018
Pruitt resigns — 14 investigations pending
Pruitt submits his resignation letter, citing the 'unrelenting attacks' on him and his family. At the time of his resignation, 14 separate federal ethics investigations are active or pending. Trump praises his tenure.
Sources
- ↑ Scott Pruitt's Ethical Swamp: The Full Accounting — The New York Times
- ↑ Scott Pruitt resigns as EPA administrator amid multiple ethics investigations — The Washington Post
- ↑ EPA chief Pruitt resigns amid mounting ethics investigations — The Associated Press
- ↑ Scott Pruitt's Ethics Scandals: A Timeline — ProPublica
Verification