Pruitt Attacks Zinke To Distract from His Mounting Scandals

Today, as more and more of Scott Pruitt’s corruption scandals pile up and more and more high-level EPA staff flee Pruitt’s sinking ship, the Atlantic reports that Pruitt’s press staff actually tried to plant stories about Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s own ethical issues, “trying to take the heat off” Pruitt.

So, what exactly is Pruitt trying to get away from? Here’s what’s new:

• It’s been reported that Pruitt has asked his staff to plan travel for him and telling them “find something for me to do” to justify the travel, but it seems they weren’t exactly up to the task. Instead, according to the Washington Post and the New York Times, Pruitt has relied on lobbyist after lobbyist after lobbyist to plan expensive foreign travel on the taxpayer’s dime.

• But it’s not just travel that Pruitt relies on lobbyists for -- it’s real estate. Along with the sweetheart condo deal from his lobbyist landlord, while a state senator in Oklahoma Pruitt secretly co-owned a home with a state lobbyist.  

Lobbyist number one and Pruitt’s cancelled trip to Australia that still cost taxpayers $45,000

• According to the New York Times reporting on documents obtained by the Sierra Club, a former lobbyist for the American Australian Council, whose members include Chevron and ConocoPhillips, orchestrated a trip for Pruitt to visit Australia.

• The lobbyist, Matthew Freedman, is a consultant who was removed from Donald Trump’s transition team for using his business email address for government work.  

Lobbyist number two 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 three 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.

Lobbyist number four and Pruitt’s real estate partner

• The New York Times reports that while serving as an Oklahoma state senator 15 years ago, Pruitt bought a home in the state capital with a registered lobbyist who was pushing to change the state’s workers’ compensation rules. Pruitt championed those changes in the Oklahoma legislature.

The EPA is getting desperate

• After three top Pruitt staffers left the EPA this week, the EPA is desperate to “take the heat off” Pruitt and his scandals. The Atlantic reports that an EPA press staffer attempted to distract from Pruitt’s scandals by planting stories that would make the Department of Interior look bad. Trump is reportedly not happy.

• 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.

And this isn’t even the half of it. Here’s a complete list of Pruitt’s many scandals.