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Two of Scott Pruitt's senior assistants provided new detail to Congressional investigators about some of his most controversial spending and management decisions, including his willingness to find a six-figure job for his wife .
Trump administration appointees described a director who was asking for a salary over $ 200,000 for his wife and who has accepted the help of a subordinate in the search for money. ;employment. EPA officials in a dispute with a Washington landlord and ignored concerns about his first-class trip.
Interviews conducted by staff of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee late last week highlighted the willingness of the EPA administrator to exploit his position for personal benefit and ignore the warnings of allies. people aware of the sessions, who spoke about the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation.
Former EPA Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy, Samantha Dravis, met with Republican and Democrat assistants for several hours on Thursday, followed by the chief of the EPA. Pruitt Staff, Ryan Jackson, Friday
. Dravis acknowledged that Pruitt had asked his subordinates to do unofficial work for him, several people said.
Dravis lawyer, Andrew D. Herman of Miller & Chevalier, said in an interview Monday that his client answered questions from Republicans and Democrats "as frankly and candidly as possible, and she rebuffed on both sides "
Scott Pruitt arrives at Trump Tower in New York on December 7, 2016 with two of his advisors during the transition, Samantha Dravis and Patrick Wyrick (Jabin Botsford / Washington Post)
" I do not think that She was trying to protect anyone, and I do not think she was trying to hurt anyone, "says Herman." She gave her perspective on what had happened According to one person familiar with the issue, Dravis told congressional staff that Pruitt had initially asked him to contact the Republican Attorneys General's Association – a group led by Pruitt and Dravis worked for before coming to the EPA – as part of the looking for work for his wife. Dravis said she refused to make this appeal to avoid any potential conflict of interest or possible violations of the Hatch Act, which limits the political activities of federal officials
John Konkus, spokesperson from the agency, declined to comment. "The EPA did not speak with Mr. Jackson or Ms. Dravis about their testimony," he said.
New testimonials from the handpicked staff of Pruitt intervene while Kevin Minoli, director of ethics at the EPA to expand his review of Pruitt's conduct. Minoli told the Office of Government Ethics in a letter dated Wednesday that he suggested the move after "any other potential issues regarding Mr. Pruitt were brought to my attention by sources. in the EPA and media reports. "
According to the Office of Ethics of the United States, the fact that the administrator asked federal employees to perform several unrelated tasks with their official work raises serious questions as to whether the EPA administrator has violated the federal rules. Tallying The Problematic Expenses of Scott Pruitt
"Pruitt is a gift that continues to give examples of senior government officials, especially in this administration, abuse their power and position," says Fox, "and really treat government resources – of which the most valuable are the staff – as personal servants. "
Fox said that because most of the behaviors Pruitt was accused of committing offenses under the Standards of Federal ethics for employees of the executive branch, it is up to the president or his chief of staff to respond.
"If we were talking about another federal employee, would that person's supervisor take disciplinary action, which could be something from the advice to revoking the public service," he said. This falls squarely on the shoulders of the President, and he seems to be doing everything possible to praise Scott Pruitt. "
Capitol Hill officials declined to comment on the testimony of the aides.
The committee plans to 39, wait until the end of our investigation to publish our findings, "said Charli Huddleston, spokeswoman for the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Trey Gowdy (RS.C.), in an email. "The selective release of interview accounts undermines the credibility of our investigation and discourages future witnesses from coming forward," said Ms. Dravis, who recently said The Post had helped Marley, the wife of Pruitt. According to someone close to the case, Cleta Mitchell, Dravis finally helped Marlyn Pruitt find a job with the Judicial Crisis Network. Conservative group said it's paid him less than six figures to work as an independent contractor to set up new offices. The arrangement ended earlier this year, the group told the Post.
When Dravis discussed the possibility of discussing job search with an official of the EPA's Ethics Office, the former assistant told congressional staff members that Pruitt had advised him to consult Mitchell. Dravis also described how Pruitt asked him, as well as another former senior, Sarah Greenwalt, to review a lease that he had decided to break. Pruitt and his wife lived briefly last year in the hallway of U Street in Washington before moving out, which forced them to pay a penalty. The administrator asked the two advisers, who are both lawyers, to review the lease to see if there was a way to avoid the penalty, Dravis told members of the board. committee.
Jackson, according to two people close to the case, confirmed that he had helped Pruitt join an Oklahoman colleague, lobbyist J. Steven Hart, to reach a housing agreement in early 2017. The initial arrangement – under which Pruitt agreed to pay $ 50 a night just the days he stayed in the condo Hart's wife, Vicki, was to last six weeks, Jackson said.
A Harts spokesman said Monday that Pruitt was originally supposed to stay in Capitol Hill's condo for 39 days. He lived there for six months, and the case is now under review by lawmakers and the EPA's Inspector General, according to these offices.
Jackson said, along with Dravis, also raised concerns about the decision of the administrator to start first class. Pruitt, who has repeatedly said that agency security experts have made the decision to upgrade to premium seats, has returned to the travel coach earlier this year.
"The committee's lawyer explicitly asked me in the early morning not to reveal what the Committee had asked me," Jackson said in an email. "I do not know if there is an obligation to follow that, but I intend to honor that request as long as the committee's lawyers will honor it as well.
Investigators from the Office of the Special Advisor, on the Hill and at the EPA The Office of the Inspector General continues to probe a range of spending and management decisions during Pruitt's tenure.
Even before Pruitt took over the leadership of the EPA, some of his associates had tried four people aware of the case.
These individuals, all of whom spoke under cover of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said that some of the Republicans charged with preparing him for Senate confirmation had warned Pruitt that he needed to take care of the situation. Avoid conflicts of interest or expense decisions.
Wilmer Hale's partner, Reginald Brown, who was managing Pruitt's financial reporting in early 2017, asked an EPA Ethics Officer to discuss the issue. Developing procedures to ensure that Pruitt complied with federal rules on travel and political activities, said two people close to the meeting. Frequent Pruitt trips funded by the EPA in Oklahoma have been one of the topics of the ethical polls he faces.
"Mr. Brown asks the EPA's ethics officials to help the new director appear to be a normal and reasonable request, that's what the officials of the 39, EPA's ethics are here to do, "said Konkus. Judge Patrick Wyrick, who was working as Attorney General of the State while Pruitt was Attorney General, warns Pruitt before and after taking the lead from the EPA that his expenses could lead to ethical problems and that it should end it. 19659034] Mr. Wyrick is currently awaiting confirmation from the Senate to sit in the United States District Court for the West Oklahoma District. The name of Wyrick was also suggested last week as a possible candidate to replace Anthony M. Kennedy, outgoing judge of the Supreme Court.
"The EPA can not talk about personal conversation between Pruitt's administrator and Judge Wyrick". Pruitt's approach during the transition foreshadowed the type of behavior that has attracted attention in recent months. According to a former and current EPA representative, Mr. Pruitt regularly asked his assistants, including in Sydney, to place hotel bookings on their personal credit cards rather than on his own.
In one case, according to former Deputy Chief Kevin Chmielewski's staff, Hupp was stuck with an invoice of about $ 600 for a reservation that she had made for the family of L & # 39; 39, administrator during the transition. Chmielewski said in an interview last month that he was in Jackson's office when Hupp approached Pruitt's chief of staff to explain to him that the repayment period of the transition had expired and that Pruitt had not covered the project. in the newspaper Hill, Jackson left $ 600 in cash in Hupp's drawer
Hupp could not be reached for comment
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