Pruitt’s dinner with cardinal accused of abuse was kept off public schedule

WASHINGTON — Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, dined last year in Rome with Cardinal George Pell, a prominent climate-sci- ence denialist and Vatican leader who was also facing sexual abuse allegations. The EPA later released offi- cial descriptions of the dinner that intentionally did not mention the cardinal’s pres- ence, according to three cur- rent and former EPA officials.

Kevin Chmielewski, Pruitt’s former deputy chief of staff for operations, said in an

interview that top political appointees at the agency feared that the meeting would reflect poorly on Pruitt if it were made public. Twenty days after the dinner, author-

ities in Australia charged Pell with sexual assault; he has denied the charges.

“It was a no-brainer,” Chmielewski said of the decision to keep Pell’s participa- tion quiet.

On Friday, Jahan Wilcox, an EPA spokesman, issued a statement confirming the

June 9 meal took place while emphasizing that it “was not a private one-on-one din- ner” and saying that Pruitt wasn’t aware of the allega- tions against Pell. He also said the EPA had no knowledge that the cardinal would be attending the dinner. through Information as However, early as the May emails Act Freedom 12, show obtained Pruitt’s that of scheduler, Millan Hupp, was working on plans for Pruitt to meet with Pell. “Dinner with Cardinal Pell and others,” an email says, proposing the dinner for June 7 and adding, “Note: His 76th birthday is tomorrow.” The dinner Pell attended ultimately took place June 9 at La Terrazza, a restaurant in the five-star Hotel Eden overlooking Rome.