Ex-aide to EPA chief testifies on costly Morocco trip

WASHINGTON — On a trip to Morocco last year, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and his staff missed a connecting flight and spent more than 24 hours in Paris because his security detail’s weapons and other gear couldn’t be transferred between the planes in time, his former security chief told congressional staffers last week.

That’s according to aides to the House oversight committee, which is investigating Pruitt’s pricey taxpayer-funded travel, including the use of premium seats by the embattled administrator and his security chief. Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta’s early retirement from EPA was announced shortly before he met with oversight committee staff. The aides spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Perrotta’s account differed from EPA’s official explanation for Pruitt’s lengthy Paris layover in December, which the agency had blamed on poor weather. While it is true that Pruitt’s departure from Washington was delayed by snow, a review of flight records shows he could have made a connecting flight and a reserved a back-up flight to Morocco if not for the complications over his security team’s guns and gear.

After months of news reports and announcements of investigations on alleged ethical lapses, White House sources signal that President Trump’s support for his environmental chief appears to be wavering. Trump’s enthusiasm for Pruitt has cooled.

White House officials have begun making the case to Trump that Pruitt’s deputy, former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, would be a strong replacement and continue Trump’s business-friendly agenda to roll back environmental regulations.