Jonathon Berman, jonathon.berman@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, the Washington Post broke the story that a lobbyist and longtime friend of embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s partially arranged his more than $100,000 taxpayer-funded trip to Morocco. The lobbyist who arranged the trip joined Pruitt on the trip. In April, the lobbyist “won a $40,000-per-month contract, retroactive to January 1, with the Moroccan government.”
Scott Pruitt has been embroiled in scandals for his numerous ethical and illegal actions as EPA Administrator, including relying on the wife of a fossil fuel lobbyist for his living arrangements. Among said lobbyists’ clients is an LNG company. Pruitt previously was reported to have promoted LNG on his Morocco trip.
The Washington Post notes that “Federal laws prohibit public officials from using government resources to financially benefit friends, relatives or other people with whom they have personal connections.”
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“Yet again, Scott Pruitt is proven to hold the American taxpayers in contempt as he wastes their money pretending to be a globetrotting government official when, in reality, he’s just parading around on behalf of his lobbyist friends’ interests. Scott Pruitt has become indefensible for Donald Trump, and he must be fired.”
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.