White House asked Pruitt not to eat lunch at West Wing mess hall so often: report

06/11/2018

The Confirmation Files current events, Politics , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt used the White House mess hall so often that Cabinet members were warned not to treat the exclusive restaurant as their personal dining hall.

Politico reported Thursday that Pruitt’s frequent use of the restaurant prompted the warning during a Cabinet meeting last year, adding that there were only a few tables available in the Navy-run restaurant open to White House officials and Cabinet members.

Image: Andrew Harnik, AP Photo

A source close to Pruitt told the news outlet that the message for the EPA chief at the meeting was clear: “We love having Mr. Pruitt, but it’s not meant for everyday use.”

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Pruitt and Aides Rack Up $90,000 in Taxpayer-Funded Travel in June Alone

02/12/2018

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt has spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on first or business class flights while his aides generally fly coach, according to the Washington Post. Pruitt has also used military jets to travel back and forth to events.

During a two-week stretch in June—around the same time President Trump announced that the U.S. is withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement—the EPA boss and his top aides racked up at least $90,000 in taxpayer-funded travel to help tout Trump’s agenda, the newspaper reported, citing EPA receipts obtained by the Environmental Integrity Project through Freedom of Information Act requests.

One of Pruitt’s short domestic trips from Washington, DC to New York was booked first class for $1,600—six times the amount spent on the two media aides who came along and sat in coach. Another $36,000 was spent on a military flight from Cincinnati to New York.

Previous EPA administrators usually refrained from such premium bookings. The Hill pointed out that federal regulations call for government travelers to “consider the least expensive class of travel that meets their needs” but can use first class for security or medical reasons.

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