Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power
Scott Pruitt: EPA Corruption, Tactical Security Detail, and Regulatory Rollbacks
Pruitt's tenure combined serious corruption with aggressive deregulation — two goals that reinforced each other. His round-the-clock security detail cost more than $4.6 million by June 2018; an internal EPA intelligence assessment found no specific credible threats justifying its expansion. He flew first class, citing security, over the reluctance of the lead agent of his own detail. He rented a condo from a lobbyist couple at $50/night while their firm had clients regulated by the EPA. He raised the salaries of two aides by about $56,765 and $28,130 using a Safe Drinking Water Act hiring provision after the White House had rejected the increases. He was ultimately undone by the accumulation of scandal but had already implemented dozens of deregulatory actions.