Udall, Schatz, Beyer, Lieu to EPA's Pruitt: Provide Documentation and Explain Favorable Rental Deal
Press Release
Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Representatives Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) wrote a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt asking him to personally answer several questions that have been raised about how he secured a special arrangement to rent a room in a Capitol Hill townhouse in 2017. According to ABC and other news reports, the apartment is owned by the wife of Williams & Jensen lobbyist J. Steven Hart, who works on issues the EPA regulates, including energy and transportation. It was made available to Pruitt for $50 a night whenever he needed it. Pruitt's daughter also used the room during her internship at the White House last year.
The unusually favorable terms of the arrangement offered by the wife of a lobbyist with a direct financial interest in decisions that Pruitt and the EPA make have raised many questions about conflicts of interest, inappropriate favoritism, and partisan or political influence, the lawmakers wrote to Pruitt. As a result, they want Pruitt himself to answer 15 detailed questions about how he arranged the rental, including how he learned about it, what his prior relationship was with Hart and his wife Vicki, and whether he ever discussed EPA business with the Harts or other affiliates with Hart's firm. The lawmakers also want Pruitt to provide the rental agreement and any communication between him, the Harts, and Williams & Jensen.
"The American public must be able to trust that you are carrying out your duties in a manner that avoids any financial conflicts of interest, inappropriate favoritism or partisan political influence," the lawmakers wrote to Pruitt, reminding him that he is bound by the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (5 C.F.R. 2635). "We believe it is imperative that you answer questions fully and transparently regarding the circumstances of your rental agreement and its approval."
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