Trump stands by EPA chief as probes expand

WASHINGTON — Scott Pruitt is facing new and expanded ethics investigations for his handling of taxpayer dollars and possible perks he’s gotten as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Staff for the Republican-led House Oversight committee confirmed Monday that it has expanded its review of Pruitt’s travel spending to now include ethical questions surrounding his bargain $50-a-night rental of a Capitol Hill condo tied to a fossil fuels lobbyist.

The Office of Government Ethics also has issued a letter to EPA demanding documents related to the condo rental. And it reports that at least five agency officials faced retaliation after questioning Pruitt’s outsized spending for travel, unprecedented security precautions and pricey office furniture.

In a letter dated Friday, Acting Government Ethics Director David Apol called media reports of Pruitt’s actions “extremely concerning.”

“The success of our government depends on maintaining the trust of the people we serve,” Apol wrote. “The American public needs to have confidence that ethics violations, as well as the appearance of ethics violations, are investigated and properly addressed.”

President Donald Trump defended Pruitt in a tweet Saturday night, saying the EPA chief is “doing a great job” and downplaying the ethical questions swirling around Pruitt. He called Pruitt’s security spending “somewhat more” than Pruitt’s predecessor and said Pruitt had received death threats “because of his bold actions at EPA.”

Pruitt was at the White House on Monday for a cabinet meeting and was seated at the far end of the table from Trump. The president did not acknowledge Pruitt while reporters were present or address the ethical cloud swirling around his EPA chief.

At the daily White House briefing, spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked if

Trump’s Saturday night tweet meant the president approved of his cabinet secretaries flying first-class and tripling the size of their security details.

“We are reviewing the specifics of each of those components,” Sanders replied. “I know there was a much larger number of security issues surrounding the EPA administrator than in the past.”

EPA Inspector General Arthur Elkins is now conducting at least five investigative audits related to Pruitt.