ICYMI: Lobbyists Orchestrated Pruitt's Taxpayer-Funded Overseas Trips

Yesterday, news broke by the Washington Post and New York Times shows that EPA administrator Scott Pruitt isn’t just friendly with  lobbyists like his landlord - in fact, his expensive trips to Morocco and Italy were planned and accompanied by lobbyists Richard Smotkin and Leonard Leo. Here’s what we know so far:

Lobbyist number one and Pruitt’s $100,000 trip to Morocco

• Lobbyist Richard Smotkin played a key part in setting the agenda for Pruitt’s trip to Morocco and even participated in several industry meetings with him according reporting by the New York Times and the Washington Post.

• Among these meetings was a meeting with the chairman of Morocco’s state-owned phosphate mining company. According to the Washington Post, Pruitt canceled an energy efficiency-focused public appearance to meet with the chairman.

• The meeting with Pruitt, Smotkin, and the Moroccan state owned mining company must have gone well because according to the Washington Post, Smotkin was hired just months after Pruitt’s trip as a foreign agent by the Moroccan government to promote the kingdom’s cultural and economic interests (such as phosphate).

• Smotkin and Pruitt have been close for a while now. According to the New York Times, while Oklahoma attorney general, Pruitt and Smotkin became good friends, bonding at Republican attorneys general meetings. But according to Morning Consult, now more Republicans want Pruitt gone than want him to stay at EPA.

Lobbyist number two and Pruitt’s $120,000 trip to Italy

• According to the New York Times, lobbyist Leonard Leo, who heads the Federalist Society, was “driving most of the schedule” of Pruitt’s Italy trip and accompanied him to meetings.

• According to Pruitt himself, he and Leo are good friends and have been since at least July of 2016.

• According to the New York Times, Leo has privileged status at EPA, his requests are treated as a top priority.

• Since starting at EPA, Pruitt has attended several events put on by Leo’s conservative group whose major donors include the Koch brothers and Chevron.

The EPA now doesn’t know where Pruitt stands with Trump

• EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox declined to comment to Morning Consult on Tuesday in response to whether allegations against Pruitt reflect poorly on the administration or if Donald Trump still supports Pruitt.

As the number of federal investigations rise and news continues to break of Pruitt’s seemingly endless corruption, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders should answer these questions:

• EPA administrator Scott Pruitt is allowing lobbyists to use taxpayer dollars to set his agenda and plan trips that cost $100,000+ - is that President Trump's idea of draining the swamp?

• The EPA is apparently in the dark on whether Pruitt’s mounting scandals are embarrassing the President or if he still has the President’s support. Can you help them out? Does the President still support Pruitt?

• What does the President think about a Trump loyalist - someone who calls himself Trump’s “biggest fan” - being forced out at EPA for attempting to stop Scott Pruitt’s exorbitant spending of taxpayer dollars?

• Pruitt has now reportedly lied to Congress about retaliating against EPA staff, lied to Fox News about approving raises for his friends from Oklahoma in spite of the White House’s opposition to these raise, and hid lobbyist involvement in expensive taxpayer funded overseas trips from the public - does the President think Scott Pruitt should be held accountable his lies and shady behavior? Does the President feel that Scott Pruitt lied to him?