Tag: Scott Pruitt

Pruitt tapes revealed: Evolution’s a ‘theory,’ ‘majority’ religions under attack

The following article by Emily Holden and Alex Guillen was posted on Politico website March 2, 2018:

Radio archives from Oklahoma also show him warning of ‘judicial monarchy’ and advocating constitutional amendments to ban abortion and gay marriage.

Scott Pruitt described the Second Amendment as divinely granted, and condemned federal judges as a “judicial monarchy.” Credit: Pete Marovich/Getty Images

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt dismissed evolution as an unproven theory, lamented that “minority religions” were pushing Christianity out of “the public square” and advocated amending the Constitution to ban abortion, prohibit same-sex marriage and protect the Pledge of Allegiance and the Ten Commandments, according to a newly unearthed series of Oklahoma talk radio shows from 2005.

Pruitt, who at the time was a state senator, also described the Second Amendment as divinely granted and condemned federal judges as a “judicial monarchy” that is “the most grievous threat that we have today.” And he did not object when the program’s host described Islam as “not so much a religion as it is a terrorist organization in many instances.” Continue reading “Pruitt tapes revealed: Evolution’s a ‘theory,’ ‘majority’ religions under attack”

House Oversight Probes Scott Pruitt’s Travel Expenses

The following article by Elvina Nawaguna was posted on the Roll Call website February 22, 2018:

EPA administrator has been under fire for first-class travel and luxury hotel stays

Kaster/AP Photo

As questions about the official travel habits of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt mount, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is demanding documents and other information on his first-class flights, as it looks into whether federal laws were broken.

Pruitt has for several months been under fire for incurring high travel costs at taxpayer expense. After recent news reports of Pruitt’s use of expensive first-class flights and stays at luxury hotels, an EPA spokesman said the administrator had been given a “blanket waiver” to fly first class for security reasons. Continue reading “House Oversight Probes Scott Pruitt’s Travel Expenses”

Controversies pile up for White House, alarming GOP

The following article by Jonathan Easley was posted on the Hill website February 21, 2018:

Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump’s White House is consumed by controversies on several fronts, putting the administration on the defensive at a time when Republicans are increasingly worried about their electoral prospects.

Republicans would be content to spend every day between now and Election Day focused on the GOP’s tax-cut bill and the economy. But those efforts are complicated by the sheer volume of controversies the White House is juggling. Continue reading “Controversies pile up for White House, alarming GOP”

Under fire for travel expenses, Pruitt cancels trip to Israel

The following article by Juliet Eilperin and Ruth Eglash was posted on the Washington Post website February 18, 2018:

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt testifies before the Senate Environment Committee on Jan. 30. Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has canceled a nearly week-long trip to Israel, agency officials confirmed Sunday.

Pruitt, who had been scheduled to leave this weekend for an extensive tour of the Mideast ally, has come under fire over the past week for the cost of his domestic and international travel. In May, the head of Pruitt’s security detail recommended he travel either business or first class whenever possible to avoid public confrontations with critics.

“We decided to postpone; the administrator looks forward to going in the future,” EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman said in an email Sunday. She did not provide a reason for the postponement. Continue reading “Under fire for travel expenses, Pruitt cancels trip to Israel”

Pruitt’s security threat? A passenger shouting, ‘You’re f—ing up the environment’

The following article by Alex Guillen was posted on the Politico website February 15, 2018:

Encounters with an angry traveler in the Atlanta airport and other unruly critics prompted EPA security staff to recommend first-class travel for the administrator, the agency says.

EPA’s independent Office of Inspector General told POLITICO on Thursday that none of the threats it has received have been related to Administrator Scott Pruitt’s air travel. Credit: John Shinkle, POLITICO

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s security team decided last year he should fly first class to avoid confrontations with angry individuals on planes and in airports, an agency official said Thursday as EPA sought to explain the chief’s penchant for pricey travel.

“He was approached in the airport numerous times, to the point of profanities being yelled at him and so forth,” Henry Barnet, director of the agency’s Office of Criminal Enforcement, told POLITICO.

“The team leader felt that he was being placed in a situation where he was unsafe on the flight,” said Barnet, a career employee and longtime law enforcement official who joined EPA in 2011. Continue reading “Pruitt’s security threat? A passenger shouting, ‘You’re f—ing up the environment’”

EPA changes its story on Pruitt’s first-class travel

The following article by Eric Wolff, Emily Holden and Alex Guillen was posted on the Politico website website February 14, 2018:

The EPA spokesman said anyone seeking additional details about Pruitt’s travels would have to formally request them under FOIA.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been routinely flying first class at taxpayers’ expense after securing what an agency spokesman had described as “blanket waiver.” Credit: Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo

EPA on Wednesday retracted its claim that Administrator Scott Pruitt has received a “blanket waiver” to fly first class whenever he travels, after POLITICO pointed officials to federal travel rules that appeared to bar such arrangements.

Pruitt has been routinely flying first class at taxpayers’ expense after securing what EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox had described as “blanket waiver,” POLITICO reported Tuesday. But the General Services Administration says federal rules require agencies’ oversight staffers to sign off on officials’ first- or business-class travel “on a trip-by-trip basis … unless the traveler has an up-to-date documented disability or special need.” Continue reading “EPA changes its story on Pruitt’s first-class travel”

EPA’s Scott Pruitt got waiver to fly business class on foreign carrier from Italy to U.S.

The following article by Julia Goldman was posted on the CBS News website February 13, 2018:

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

WASHINGTON — EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been under fire for frequently flying in first and business class at taxpayer expense. CBS News has learned more about one of those flights, while Pruitt defended his expensive flights in an interview with a New Hampshire newspaper Tuesday.

In early June, Pruitt traveled to Italy for meetings at the Vatican and to attend a summit with international energy ministers. Taxpayers picked up the tab for his round-trip business-class flight, which cost at least $7,000, several times the cost of what was paid for other staffers who accompanied him on the trip. Continue reading “EPA’s Scott Pruitt got waiver to fly business class on foreign carrier from Italy to U.S.”

First-class travel distinguishes Scott Pruitt’s EPA tenure

The following article by Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis was posted on the Washington Post website February 11, 2018:

Members of President Trump’s Cabinet have taken noncommercial flights at the expense of taxpayers, and Trump says he’s “not happy.” (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

Just days after helping orchestrate the United States’ exit from a global climate accord last June, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt embarked on a whirlwind tour aimed at championing President Trump’s agenda at home and abroad.

On Monday, June 5, accompanied by his personal security detail, Pruitt settled into his $1,641.43 first-class seat for a short flight from the District to New York City. His ticket cost more than six times that of the two media aides who came along and sat in coach, according to agency travel vouchers; the records do not show whether his security detail accompanied him at the front of the plane. Continue reading “First-class travel distinguishes Scott Pruitt’s EPA tenure”

While you weren’t looking: 5 stories from the Trump administration that weren’t about domestic abuse

The following article by A.P. Joyce was posted on the mic.com website February 9, 2018:

This week’s news was dominated by the resignation of White House staffer Rob Porter, who was accused by both of his ex-wives of having physically abused them.

The fallout over Porter’s past — including accusations that other senior Trump officials including White House chief of staff John Kelly knew about the abuse allegations months in advance — eclipsed a lot of other news stories that might have roiled any other administration.

Here are five important stories you may have missed. Continue reading “While you weren’t looking: 5 stories from the Trump administration that weren’t about domestic abuse”

New emails reveal Scott Pruitt was personally involved in erasing climate data from EPA website

The following article by Mark Hand was posted on the ThinkProgress website January 29, 2018:

EPA staff also manipulated search results, according to emails.

Scott Pruitt Credit: Pete Marovich/Getty Images

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt was personally involved in the purging of information from the agency’s website in the early months of the Trump administration, according to documents obtained by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

Soon after President Donald Trump took office, pages on the EPA’s website about climate change started disappearing or getting redirected to sites touting the president’s fossil fuel agenda. Along with webpages about climate change and climate science, the purge removed the agency’s webpage about the Clean Power Plan, the signature Obama administration effort to curb carbon emissions from power plants and one that Pruitt is now attempting to repeal, the environmental group said Monday in a news release. Continue reading “New emails reveal Scott Pruitt was personally involved in erasing climate data from EPA website”