White House Muddles: Who Exactly is investigating Pruitt?

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Yesterday, at the White House press briefing, a reporter with the Washington Post asked Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about cabinet abuses of power by Scott Pruitt, David Shulkin, and Ben Carson. Sanders repeatedly said that all three were “under review”, but did not clarify whether the White House is reviewing these cases independently of individual reviews and investigations at their respective agencies.

Today, it was reported that a top EPA security official may have steered a roughly $3,000 government contract to his associate. Yesterday, the news broke that one of Pruitt’s top political aides, Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Public Affairs John Konkus, has been serving as a media consultant outside the Agency, but is refusing to disclose his clients.  

In response, Sierra Club Federal Lobbying and Advocacy Directory Melinda Pierce released the following statement:

“Is the White House independently investigating Pruitt’s abuse of taxpayer funds? The public deserves to know whether the President is taking this issue seriously or leaving it to others.

“Scott Pruitt has flouted nearly every norm, ethic, and responsibility of office. He’s wasting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on himself, checking off every wishlist item the corporate polluters have sent him, throwing life saving clean air and water safeguards out the window, and is apparently enabling lucrative contracts to business associates of his aides. Pruitt should have already resigned several times over for these egregious acts -- just like his former colleague Tom Price. Since he hasn’t, it’s time this White House took immediate action.”