Adam Beitman, 202-670-5585 or adam.beitman@sierraclub.org
The New York Times and Washington Post are out with blockbuster new reports this morning exposing even more corruption scandals from the Scott Pruitt swamp, detailing many new incidents of Pruitt abusing the power of his position for personal gain. No wonder Trump is saying he’s “not happy.”
Reaction Statement from Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune:
"Scott Pruitt treats federal employees like his own luxury concierge service, and it's long past time for him to resign or be fired. Scott Pruitt's abuses of power are just as corrupt as his policies, which are designed to put the profits of polluters ahead of children's health, clean air, and clean water."
AMONG TODAY’S NEWLY REPORTED, OUTRAGEOUS SCOOPS:
● WHITE HOUSE INTERNSHIP--WITH AN ASSIST: At least three taxpayer-funded E.P.A. staff members were used to help Pruitt’s daughter obtain a summer internship at the White House
● DONOR FUNDRAISING MEETINGS ON THE JOB: Taxpayer-funded EPA staff were tasked with arranging meetings and phone calls for Pruitt with influential donors to his past campaigns and political causes in Oklahoma. The appointments were kept off Mr. Pruitt’s public schedule, according to aides, because it was clear the sessions were not about E.P.A. business.
● HAVE FUN AT THE ROSE BOWL: Federal government staffers booked Pruitt’s travel to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., where Mr. Pruitt had secured seats near the 50-yard line for the face value of $175 each. The tickets, purchased five days before the sold-out New Year’s Day game this year, were secured through a special allotment for the University of Oklahoma, all while tickets for equivalent seats were on sale on the secondary market for as much as seven times the price paid by Mr. Pruitt.
○ DIRTIER DETAILS: Pruitt’s Rose Bowl tickets were secured from the chief executive of an Oklahoma-based public relations firm that has a large energy practice, with major industry clients that have business before the EPA.
● BATTING PRACTICE, FOR THE FAMILY: Emails secured by the Sierra Club through a successfully litigated FOIA request demonstrate that Pruitt used federal government staffers to arrange details for Mr. Pruitt, his wife, daughter and son to attend batting practice ahead of a Washington Nationals baseball game against the New York Mets on July 5th of last year.
● BILLIONAIRE LIFESTYLE: Pruitt’s scandals are driven in large part by the desire to be treated like a billionaire: “The problem is he is not Trump — he is not a billionaire. But he sincerely thinks he is.”
In light of this new reporting, here’s AN INCOMPLETE LIST of things @EPAScottPruitt enlisted his taxpayer-funded staff to “help” him with by abusing his position:
-Buy special hand lotion
-Buy a used Trump Hotel mattress
-Get his daughter a White House internship
-Get to a French Restaurant through traffic
-Get his wife a Chick-fil-a franchise
-Get his wife a job basically anywhere
-Buy football tickets
-Arrange meetings with political donors and keep them off his schedule
-Get into batting practice at a Nationals game
-Book luxury travel around the world
-Pick up his laundry
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.