EPA aide: I ran errands for Pruitt
Among the duties: Finding a used mattress from Trump hotel in D.C.
WASHINGTON — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt had a top aide seek a used mattress from the Trump International Hotel and perform other personal chores for him, according to an email and testimony from the aide released Monday.
The account from Pruitt scheduling director Millan Hupp is in a letter House Democrats sent Monday to Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.
Hupp appeared before a panel of House oversight committee staffers earlier this month. Democrats released a partial transcript of her interview, including Hupp’s account that Pruitt had her do personal errands, including househunting and booking a trip for him to the Rose Bowl.
Staffers also asked Hupp about an email that showed her reaching out to managers of the Trump hotel at Pruitt’s request. Hupp told the House staffers that Pruitt was seeking to secure a used mattress from the Trump hotel.
Hupp told them she did not know what Pruitt planned to do with any mattress, but added, “It was around the same time that he was moving.”
Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Gerald Connolly of Virginia, the top Democrats on the oversight committee and a subcommittee on government operations, called the errands a violation of federal law on gifts from subordinates. In their letter, the Democrats ask Gowdy to issue a subpoena for government records they say EPA is currently withholding from the committee.
“During her interview with Committee staff, Ms. Hupp not only confirmed the previous allegations against Administrator Pruitt, but revealed significant new details about the extent to which he utilized her for personal tasks, including using his credit card to book personal flights and even attempting to obtain an ‘old mattress,’ ” Cummings and Connolly wrote. “If Ms. Hupp’s statements to the Committee are accurate, Administrator Pruitt crossed a very clear line and must be held accountable.”
EPA’s press office did not answer questions Monday about whether Pruitt got the mattress and, if so, how much he paid for it and whether hotel staff delivered it to his home. EPA also wouldn’t comment on whether EPA ethics officials had reviewed whether the administrator accepting the mattress would potentially violate federal rules prohibiting officials from accepting gifts.
Neither the White House nor Trump Organization responded to requests for comment.
A staffer who answered the phone at the Trump hotel on Monday told The Associated Press that the hotel’s standard mattress is a Stearns & Foster model, and that it can be purchased through Trump Hotel guest services.