Democrats questioning EPA security staffer’s business ties

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats are pressing Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt on whether a key member of his taxpayerfunded security team improperly steered a government contract to a personal business associate.

The Associated Press reported in December that EPA paid $3,000 to Edwin Steinmetz Associates to have Pruitt's office swept for hidden listening devices. In addition to operating his own consulting business, Edwin Steinmetz also works for a larger company called Sequoia Security Group.

Sequoia's CEO and founder is Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta, a former Secret Service agent who is listed in EPA travel records as a member of the EPA administrator's security detail.

Steinmetz, a former police officer, is described as Sequoia's vice president of technical surveillance countermeasures.

Two members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee sent a letter to Pruitt citing AP's report and asking whether Perrotta used his position at EPA to give Steinmetz the bug-sweeping contract.

“These facts raise questions about Mr. Perrotta's compliance with EPA regulations and concerns that he may have used his position at the agency to influence the award of EPA contracts to a person or company in which he has a financial interest,” wrote Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox said security sweeps are “common practice in government” and former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson also had her office swept. “We looked at a couple of different vendors and career administrative officials approved the same vendor that the Office of the Inspector General used and other offices within EPA,” he said.

Perrotta could not be reached for comment. Steinmetz said he could not discuss whether he had a contract with EPA.