Republic of South Carolina Trey gowdy appealed to the EPA to provide more documents to the Committee on Wednesday, so he could look at questions about the arrangement of housing and the cost Pruitt travel and security.
In the new letter, told gowdy that previously released statements from Agency staff on ethics are “insufficient to assess compliance with Federal rules of ethics”. He asked EPA to provide Messages relevant to housing arrangement, the statements of officials of ethics that the organization has not violated the gift rules of the Agency and any documents showing whether the use of the Condo has fulfilled the terms of the contract.
On Wednesday, gowdy wrote EPA asking for more travel documents showing that Pruitt had been denied a first class and documents showing the security threats that led the Agency to justify first class Pruitt travel for security reasons.
Two other Democrats on the Senate oversight Committee, called for EPA hearings this week and said that they reviewed internal EPA documents that question the validity of the Agency to increase spending on security.
Gowdy to move to send employees in environmental protection this week comes after the group expanded its review to include Pruitt controversial 50 per night $of the lease agreement. This is the latest sign that concerns ethics, raised mostly Democrats over spending Pruitt in EPA was still able to penetrate through the passage.
Senator Tom Udal, D-N. M., announced Wednesday that Democrats in the House of representatives and the Senate, plan to introduce resolutions calling for Pruitt to resign or be fired.
On Friday, the Federal government’s top ethics official has sent a letter to EPA expressing concern about the mounting ethics issues facing Pruitt’s actions in the Agency, warning that the American public “must have confidence that breaches of the ethical rules and the appearance of ethics violations are investigated and appropriately addressed.”
Employees gowdy reviewing travel expenses Pruitt, including a recent trip Pruitt to Morocco, and Pruitt and how much the government spent on expenses and security, according to assistant. The Republican staff of the Committee has not considered of paper that allowed Pruitt to travel first class, which gowdy is first requested in February. 20 a letter. EPA already has turned over documents to the Committee showing that Pruitt spent more than 105 000 $on flights, including travel in first class in the first nine months as head of the EPA.
The Committee Democrats, led by the Republic of Elijah Cummings, d-MD., ranking members of the group, asked gowdy to sue the EPA to record and hold hearings with the participation of Pruitt and senior officials of the BOT.
REM. Gerry Connolly, D-VA., Committee member, accused the Republicans of not carrying out supervision, saying that Tuesday was not “a serious investigation into anything in respect of this Administration for our Committee at all.”
At least 80 Democrats and three Republicans urged Pruitt’s firing or resignation after reports that he rented Capitol hill Villa for $50 per night with a lobbyist whose husband was represented energy companies, and that Pruitt unlawfully increased the salaries of assistants under the safe drinking water act.
Survival strategy Pruitt all: to emphasize their rollback of environmental regulations
A senior official of the government ethics writes EPA on issues Pruitt
Some Republicans criticized the decision of Pruitt in an interview but stopped calling for the administrator to resign.
“In the end, it’s not very good. I like Scott. He did a good job, from my point of view, as administrator of the EPA … but Congress has oversight over here. And we’ll see where it goes,” Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S. C., told ABC news this week.
Prominent conservatives on Capitol hill and around Washington, including Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., rallied around Pruitt and his record at the EPA, rejecting criticism of his behavior.
Senator John Barrasso, R-Wyoming., the Chairman of the group in the Senate having jurisdiction for the protection of the environment, said he expects the review of the White house behavior and costs Pruitt.
General inspector for environmental protection is already probing the administrator of EPA and former attorney General of Oklahoma for travel expenses and security, and may decide the reviews about the Condo and the questions about whether he authorized significant raises for two of his assistants.
Pruitt and the EPA said that his housing arrangement was approved by the officials of the Department of ethics, which said in a statement that it has not violated the rules of the gift. But there were more questions and calls for an investigation into whether it created a conflict of interest for Pruitt to rent from his wife a lobbyist whose firm represented clients whose interests are to of the EPA.
In response to questions about other request of Congress, EPA stated that it will respond through the appropriate channels. Pruitt is scheduled to speak in front of the Committee on energy and Commerce of the chamber later this month.
The President, Donald trump continues to publicly stand by Pruitt, tweeting what he did over the weekend.
Even if Pruitt were to resign or be fired, Republicans expressed concern about confirming a replacement given their slim Senate majority and lack of Senator John McCain, R-Ariz. who are struggling with cancer of the brain at his home in Arizona.
Pruitt barely confirmed in February 2017 in a 52-46 vote. Democratic Sens. The company Heidi heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia endorsed his proposal, while Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine spoke out against his candidacy.
The upper house also faces looming battles confirmations for new elections trump to head the State Department, the CIA and the Department of veterans Affairs.
As Pruitt and his allies continue to push back against criticism of his conduct in office, the Democrats continued to build up the drumbeat of demands oversight and accountability for the protection of the environment.
Two Democrats on the environment and public works Committee, Senator Tom Karper, ranking member, and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, wrote Barrasso Tuesday asking in the cost of security is Pruitt.
The senators write that they are considered internal documents of the EPA that the definition of Agency that Pruitt had faced “an unprecedented number of threats” compared to the previous administrators. Determining that there were more serious threats against Pruitt was cited as the reason that he need 24/7 security and often takes first-class flight.
But the letter said that not everyone in the EPA agrees with this point of view, and estimates from EPA and the US Secret service found no credible threats against Pruitt.
Barrasso slammed the letter Democrats in a statement on Tuesday, chastised the Democrats for the release of the security administrator. The letter quoted from internal EPA documents, but the documents in full has not been made public.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
