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The White House is conducting a review of Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt’s activities after reports that he had rented accommodations in Washington at below-market rates from the family of an energy lobbyist, a White House official said Monday.
While there is no sign yet that Pruitt’s job is in jeopardy, another White House official said that few people are coming to Pruitt’s defense. Pruitt has alienated some colleagues by making known his desire to succeed Jeff Sessions as attorney general should Sessions step down or be fired by President Donald Trump, this person said.
Read: Pruitt spent more than $105,000 on first-class flights
The purpose of the inquiry is to “dig a little deeper,” the first official said, indicating that the White House isn’t satisfied with a statement from the EPA last week that the $50-a-night lease agreement didn’t violate federal ethics rules.
Last week, the EPA defended Pruitt’s living arrangement, releasing a statement that he had not run afoul of ethics rules. “As EPA career ethics officials stated in a memo, Administrator Pruitt’s housing arrangement for both himself and family was not a gift and the lease was consistent with federal ethics regulations,” said EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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