Cluck be a lady in new Pruitt sleaze
SCOTT PRUITT’S latest ethical dilemma sandwiches government business with fried chicken.
About three months after being sworn in as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Pruitt (photo) directed his executive scheduler to reach out to Chick-fil-A to inquire about a “potential business opportunity” for his wife, Marlyn, newly unearthed emails reveal.
A call was scheduled to the chicken joint’s chairman and president, Dan Cathy, but Pruitt ended up canceling it, according to emails obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request from the Sierra Club.
Pruitt instead ended up talking with a representative for Chickfil-A’s legal department, spokeswoman Carrie Kurlander told The Washington Post, which first flagged the possibly ethically dubious outreach from the embattled EPA chief.
“The subject of that phone call DENNIS RODMAN could be part of the historic summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next week in Singapore, ESPN reports.
The appearance of “The Worm” has not been “finalized,” his agent Darren Prince told Darren Rovell.
The leaders of the two nations are scheduled to meet at a luxury resort on Sentosa Island for was an expression of interest in his wife becoming a Chick-fil-A franchisee,” Kurlander said.
Kurlander said Pruitt’s wife “started, but did not complete, the Chickfil-A franchisee application.”
A spokesman for Pruitt did not return a request for comment.
Ethics watchdogs said the Chickfil-A revelation adds to Pruitt’s already dizzying number of ethical scandals and questionable management tactics.
Government officials are prohibited by federal law from using their positions for private gain.
The chief of the EPA using his leverage to get a franchisee opportunity for his wife from a major fast-food chain is “clearly problematic,” said Jordan Libowitz, a director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
“It’s kind of amazing that anyone can have near this many scandals and still maintain their job in the administration,” Libowitz told the Daily News. “It’s mind-boggling.” nuclear talks in Singapore, the White House said Tuesday.
Trump and Kim’s highly anticipated get-together is scheduled for June 12 at 9 a.m. local time — or 9 p.m. EDT on June 11 — after a flurry of on-again-off-again action.
Located a quarter mile off the coast of the city-state, the island is known for its high-end beach hotels, golf courses and amusement parks.