Lobbyist linked to condo leased by EPA chief retires

WASHINGTON – The fossil-fuels lobbyist tied to the bargain-priced Capitol Hill condo leased by Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is taking early retirement as a result of the scandal.

J. Steven Hart sent an email to friends and colleagues on Friday announcing he’s leaving Williams & Jensen, the Washington lobbying firm where he served as chairman. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the email, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Hart, 64, said he was planning to retire in November, but that the intense scrutiny resulting from the unusual rental arrangement with the head of the EPA led him to expedite his departure.

Media reports first disclosed last month that Pruitt paid just $50 a night for the condo to a corporation co-owned by Hart’s wife, who is also a lobbyist, triggering several ethics investigations.

In his email to friends, the veteran Washington insider attempted to make light of the issue.

“I want to thank so many of you who have taken the time to send me and Vicki notes and flowers as we learned a new and personal meaning of ‘Fake News’ and ‘Real Friends,’ ” Hart wrote. “They say if you need a friend in Washington, get a dog. We now know that adage is not always accurate.”

The embattled EPA administrator has described Hart as a personal friend and insisted that he paid a market rate for the condo, though comparable properties nearby are listed at more than double what he paid.

EPA’s press office did not respond to a request for comment.

EPA’s inspector general announced last week that he will review spending by Pruitt’s full-time security detail, the latest in about a dozen ongoing investigations related to Pruitt by various agencies.