Democratic congressmen ask EPA inspector general to investigate Pruitt
Update: 3:40 p.m. – President Donald Trump tweeted that he has accepted Pruitt’s resignation. Trump tweeted that Deputy EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler will become acting administrator as of Monday.
WASHINGTON – Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu (Calif.) and Don Beyer (Va.) have requested an investigation into reports that said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt used alternate calendars and schedules to hide meetings he had with energy industry representatives and others.
“We write regarding new allegations that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt intentionally hid or falsified records of meetings and discussions with representatives of industries regulated by the EPA,” the congressmen wrote in a letter to EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins Jr. on Thursday.
The congressmen added: “We request an immediate investigation to determine whether the Administrator violated the Federal Records Act.”
CNN obtained the letter and first reported the allegations.
Altering or deleting records of meetings could possibly violate federal law.
Pruitt is the subject of the 14 investigations.
Pruitt has come under fire for having rented a condo from the wife of an energy lobbyist for only $50 a night. He has said there was nothing improper about the arrangement. Pruitt has been accused of using taxpayer money for personal travel, opulent office furnishings, and for expanding the size and scope of his security detail beyond that of his predecessors.
Many Democrats have called on him to resign.
Pruitt has long been considered a foe of environmental activists. As Oklahoma attorney general he eliminated a unit within the AG’s office charged with prosecuting polluters. Pruitt sued the EPA more than a dozen times during the Obama administration.
This article is republished with permission from Talk Media News
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