Enviro chief hit with more lobbying dirt

ENVIRONMENTAL Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt has another politically toxic mess to clean up.

Newly released documents indicate a powerful lobbyist pal of the beleaguered Pruitt reached out to the EPA on behalf of three clients last year despite repeated denials from both men about any business interaction. In at least one instance, the two met personally in Pruitt’s office.

J. Steven Hart of the firm Williams and Jensen whose wife rented Pruitt a cut-rate luxury Capitol Hill condo — reached out to the federal agency last year on behalf of the Coca-Cola Co., pork producer Smithfield Foods and a financial oversight board for hurricane-battered Puerto Rico.

According to a statement from the lobbying company, Hart withheld information about his contacts with the EPA, leading to inaccurate corporate reports filed with federal officials. An investigation revealed “information that was not previously disclosed to our firm and therefore not included in the original filings,” the company said.

Both Pruitt (photo) and Hart have repeatedly denied that the pair conducted any business in 2017, while the EPA boss was paying a ridiculously low rent of $50 a night to reside in a luxury condo belonging to a corporation coowned by the lobbyist’s wife.

The scandal forced Hart’s unplanned retirement from the company. Pruitt, most recently at a May 16 congressional hearing, has inaccurately asserted that Hart was not a registered lobbyist last year.

“He’s a longtime associate and friend,” insisted Pruitt. The EPA has yet to comment on the disclosures made by the company, although it is a crime under federal law to “knowingly and willfully” lie before Congress.

The embattled Pruitt was already slammed by a government watchdog group after spending $43,000 on a soundproof telephone booth, supposedly to conduct sensitive business calls, and $1,560 to purchase a dozen customized fountain pens. Somewhat inexplicably, he also receives round-the-clock security at a cost to taxpayers of $3 million a year.

The link between Pruitt and Hart emerged as a problem when the rental deal was exposed three months ago, with additional scrutiny leading to the latest revelations.