The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that Scott Pruitt, the administrator, spent $3.5 million on security over the last year, which Senate Democrats are running with as proof that Pruitt’s defense for the spending is an attempt to “muddy the waters.”
“Mr. Pruitt wants to muddy the waters after racking up massive travel bills, but he’s not fooling anyone,” said Democrats in a joint statement led by Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, the top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee. “Parents and families across the country are watching his administration brazenly misuse their tax dollars — dollars they expect will be spent protecting their children and communities from toxic chemicals and pollution, not on premium travel for him, his staff and his private security entourage.”
The EPA spreadsheet released Friday showed that in the first and second quarter of 2018, Pruitt spent $603,832 and $742,205, respectively, on security. The amounts are more than double that spent by the EPA in the last year of the Obama administration for Administrator Gina McCarthy.
The jump in security spending began to rise in the third and fourth quarters of last year, going from $388,670 in the second quarter to $681,546 in the third quarter.
The Democrats said their analysis from the EPA documents refutes Pruitt’s claim that his security expenses are comparable to that of past administrators.
Pruitt’s travel and security expenses have become the subject of several investigations underway by the agency’s inspector general, including a trip last to Morocco and the use of security for a vacation visit to Disney Land.
EPA continues to argue that Pruitt’s security is necessary due to an unprecedented number of death threats. A spokesman for the agency said the costs of the administrator’s security will now be posted quarterly.
“Americans should all agree that members of the President’s cabinet should be kept safe from violent threats,” the spokesman said.
