Ethics Czar Calls for New Investigations into Latest Scott Pruitt Scandals Ahead of Potential ‘Corrective Action’

WASHINGTON – Today, the head of the Office of Government Ethics called for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General to further investigate the latest scandals involving the agency’s chief, Scott Pruitt.

The Acting Director of the OGE, David Apol sent a letter today to EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins, urging that he expand his current investigation to include the flurry of new allegations against Pruitt over potential violations of federal ethics laws.

From Apol’s letter to Elkins:

A variety of sources raise concerns about the Administrator’s use of his position. Specifically, recent reports raise additional questions regarding the Administrator’s use of subordinates’ time to search for housing and furniture for the Administrator. Recent news reports further allege that the Administrator used his security detail to complete other personal errands for him on official time. Additionally, recent articles suggest that Administrator use a staff member and his official position to seek business opportunities for his wife with Chick-fil-A, among others.

We ask that you complete your work, as soon as possible, so that we can decide whether to begin a formal corrective action proceeding in order to make a formal recommendation to the President.

“The only ‘corrective action’ worthy of Pruitt’s flagrant breaking of ethics laws and abuse of his office is for the president to fire him,” said EWG President Ken Cook. “Anything short of that is tantamount to issuing a fine to a bank robber.”

“Scott Pruitt has already destroyed his own reputation among much of the American public, and a growing number of leading conservatives in Congress and the media understand the damage Pruitt is doing to the Republican party,” said Cook. “Pruitt’s ripping off taxpayers and repeatedly breaking federal ethics laws for his own personal gain is offensive to virtually everyone – regardless of their politics.”

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