EPA head showed penchant for travel, drivers even before DC
Source: Associated Press
EPA head showed penchant for travel, drivers even before DC
By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and SEAN MURPHY
Today
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Scott Pruitts penchant for travel and concerns about security were notable even before he became head of the Environmental Protection Agency, according to newly obtained records that show that as Oklahomas attorney general he frequently traveled out-of-state for appearances before conservative groups and used an office investigator as a driver.
As Oklahomas top prosecutor from 2011 to 2016, Pruitt was raising his profile nationally as a conservative in favor of rolling back regulation and federal authority.
Records obtained by The Associated Press show Pruitt traveled extensively as Oklahomas attorney general, taking 18 out-of-state trips in 2015 and 2016, for example, including 11 to Washington, D.C. Although some travel expenses were reimbursed by conservative think tanks where Pruitt spoke, records show no sign of reimbursement for several trips involving appearances before them.
Immediately after taking office as attorney general, Pruitt started using a full-time driver who chauffeured him in a large black SUV from his home in Tulsa to the office in Oklahoma City, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) away.
Pruitts daily calendars show the driver variously shown on the records as driver or agent was often an office investigator, a licensed law enforcement officer who typically investigates crimes for the agency.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/9a2ce7e38ced4e1ba89c3d65c48fa7ba/EPA-head-showed-penchant-for-travel,-drivers-even-before-DC