EPA chief broke law, watchdog says
WASHINGTON — The embattled chief of the Environmental Protection Agency broke federal law when he spent more than $43,000 of agency funds to install a soundproof telephone booth in his office, federal investigators have found.
The Government Accountability Office concluded that Scott Pruitt violated the Antideficiency Act by not informing Congress before he authorized the construction of the booth, which Pruitt said was needed to deter eavesdroppers. The violation subjects Pruitt to a range of punishments that could include suspension or even dismissal.
“Because EPA used its appropriations in a manner specifically prohibited by law, EPA violated the Antideficiency Act,” said the GAO report, released Monday.
President Trump, who continues to back Pruitt as spending scandals swirl around the EPA administrator, has given little sign he is looking to discipline his environmental chief. But the GAO’s finding magnifies the political problems Pruitt is creating for an administration that vows zero tolerance for corruption and selfdealing.
The phone booth was one of several controversial spending decisions by Pruitt, who spent more than $100,000 on first-class travel, rented a bedroom at a rate far below market value from the wife of an energy lobbyist, and gave big raises to two aides that the White House refused to approve.
Investigators said such spending clearly falls in the category of needing congressional approval if it exceeds $5,000. It rejected Pruitt’s argument that the approval was necessary only if the costs were related to aesthetic improvements.
The booth itself cost $24,570. The agency spent nearly $20,000 on concrete floor leveling, ceiling installation, painting and removal of closed-circuit television equipment to accommodate its installation. Federal investigators did not opine on whether Pruitt needed such a booth. They just looked narrowly at whether he needed congressional signoff, which they said he did.
The booth is not the only controversial move Pruitt made without first seeking approval. The federal government’s ethics chief this month scolded him for not getting approval from ethics officers for his housing arrangement until long after he had used the bedroom.