Judge: EPA nominee must turn over records

‘No reasonable explanation’ why Pruitt hasn’t complied

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma judge Thursday ordered state Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, to turn over documents related to Pruitt’s communications with coal, oil and natural gas corporations that an advocacy group has sought for more than two years.

District Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons said “there really is no reasonable explanation” why Pruitt’s office has not complied with a request filed in January 2015 by the Wisconsin-based Center for Media and Democracy for communications between Pruitt and Koch Industries and other major energy companies as well as the corporate-funded Republican Attorney General’s Association.

Assistant Attorney General Jeb E. Joseph told the judge that Pruitt’s office complied with the group’s January 2015 request last week when it turned over about 400 documents.

But Timmons said the attorney general’s office had previously identified more than 3,000 emails that were relevant to the group’s request.

“You just can’t sit on them for two years,” Timmons said. “The burden is turn it over. The public policy is for openness. You can’t just say: ‘We’re not giving them to you.’”

Timmons said she was not impressed by claims that the attorney general’s office had been overwhelmed with Open Records Act requests from watchdog groups and the U.S. Senate since Trump nominated Pruitt to head the EPA.

“They were well in advance of any confirmation hearings,” Timmons said.

The Senate is scheduled to vote Friday afternoon on whether to confirm Pruitt’s nomination.