Scott Pruitt's Travel Scandal Gets Swampier

Scott Pruitt is one of six cabinet members to come under fire for questionable travel expenses. The fallout hasn't been exactly even among those caught up in these controversies. While HHS Sec Tom Price resigned in September over his use of uber expensive private charters and we can assume VA Sec David Shulkin's European vacation debacle figured into his dismissal this week, others like Treasury Sec Mnuchin and Energy Sec Rick Perry have thus far managed to weather the storm.

Scott Pruitt came under scrutiny when it was revealed that he'd spent over $105k on first-class flights. The most expensive of Pruitt's travels was a trip to Morocco in December with airfare of $16,217 — but as it turns out, expensive airfare might be the least problematic aspect of the trip.

According to the EPA press release:

WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt attended bilateral meetings in Morocco this week where he outlined U.S. environmental priorities for updating the Environmental Work Plan under the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement and the potential benefit of liquified natural gas (LNG) imports on Morocco’s economy.

Given the mission of the EPA, promoting the import of LNG by foreign countries seems less the job of the EPA Administrator and more the purview of Energy Sec Rick "Do these glasses make me look smart?" Perry.

New revelations about Pruitt's housing situation might shed some light on this peculiar LNG side bar and spoiler alert — it's swamptacular.

EXCLUSIVE: More Cabinet trouble for Trump? EPA chief lived in condo tied to lobbyist 'power couple'

For much of his first year in Washington, President Trump’s EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt occupied prime real estate in a townhouse near the U.S. Capitol that is co-owned by the wife of a top energy lobbyist, property records from 2017 show.

Hart confirmed to ABC News in a brief interview that Pruitt had lived in the flat, which is owned by a limited liability company that links to an address listed to Hart and his wife Vicki Hart, a lobbyist with expertise in the healthcare arena. Steven Hart said Vicki Hart co-owns the condo. He said his wife was not the majority owner, but would not identify her partners.

“I have no ownership interest,” he said. “Obviously, I know the owners.”

So we have Pruitt living in a townhouse co-owned by this lobbyist couple. Worse, while the wife is involved in healthcare lobbying, the husband's firm lobbies for the energy sector, including lobbying the EPA.

Another lobbying client of Hart’s, the railroad Norfolk Southern, spent $160,000 last year on lobbying Congress on “issues affecting coal usage, oil production, and transportation, including EPA regulation.”

In particular, his firm lobbies for the country's only exporter of LNG.

Mr. Hart is the chairman and CEO of Williams and Jensen, a firm that reported more than $16 million in federal lobbying income in 2017, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Among his many clients are the NRA, for whom he serves as outside legal counsel.

Just last year, Cheniere Energy Inc. reported paying Hart’s firm $80,000.

Hart’s firm specifically lobbied on “issues related to the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG), approval of LNG exports and export facilities.” The firm also lists on its website that it lobbies on other EPA policies like the Clean Air Act.

Cheniere Energy Inc. owned the only active Liquid Natural Gas export plant in the United States at the time.

Welcome to the new swamp, same as the old swamp.

a reply to: theantediluvian
No big deal. We knew that Trump and his administration would be like this when we elected him, right?


MAGA!

I have never made over $50,000 a year.

I manage to get on just fine without sweatheart deals like this.

Why in Gods name does it seem like all of these politicians who make more money in one year than I will make in five must be so greedy and be unethical to get even more?

a reply to: theantediluvian

I hope we continue to watch this kind of stuff so closely....because the moment you take your eyes off it'll start happening again.

Good digging AD. I hope he gets fired as well. What he did may be worthy of criminal charges, if it all fleshes out as it seems.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Not too many comments on this thread. Maybe everyone is over at the Hillary arm cast thread because she's so relevant. Here we have a guy who is clearly stealing money from the taxpayers, but, since he's not Hillary let's just let him get away with it like all the others. Ben Carson's table. Those doors, and many many trips.

Why shouldn't the people in this administration do exactly as they wish? Are the Republicans in Congress going to stop them or investigate? Nope.

And is Trump going to put his foot down? Probably won't, bone spurs ya know.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Thanks for keeping an eye on the swamp creatures. Accountability should not be a partisan issue. Too many in dc are there only to fatten their wallet and not to serve.

We knew that Trump and his administration would be like this when we elected him, right?

Those of us who didn't vote for him knew this would happen.

Trump's voters don't care about morals, or laws for that matter, they only care about getting revenge on all of us evil educated people who don't make decisions basd on folklore and religion.

originally posted by: CB328

We knew that Trump and his administration would be like this when we elected him, right?

Those of us who didn't vote for him knew this would happen.

Trump's voters don't care about morals, or laws for that matter, they only care about getting revenge on all of us evil educated people who don't make decisions basd on folklore and religion.

Absurd.

Who did you vote for? I assume if we find out they took some sort of money, that is your admission that you only want revenge on the evil people you dislike.

And based on this comment, i feel you are being very loose with the facts claiming you are "educated"

I have two degrees and work in IT for a Fortune 500 company- plenty educated enough especially for this forum.

Anyone who still defends this administration is either stupid or evil- there's no other option at this point.

This is the most corrupt administration in American history by a long shot. Nixon is an angel compared to Trump's house of criminals and traitors.

I don't think anyone can rise in DC without being part of the swamp in some form or fashion. You are going to get dirty one way or the other.

originally posted by: Grambler
I have never made over $50,000 a year.

I manage to get on just fine without sweatheart deals like this.

Why in Gods name does it seem like all of these politicians who make more money in one year than I will make in five must be so greedy and be unethical to get even more?

If you elect billionaires who inherit fortunes and empires from their family, they'll make sure it gets tricked down to you.

Well, not you. Or your children. Or their children.

But it'll start trickling down sometime! This time, it's gonna be different!

a reply to: Grambler

I think that even people who start out with good intentions, finding themselves in an environment of casual, endemic corruption, have a hard time resisting.

Then there's a lot of greedy f's who start out with bad intentions and see politics as a means to self-enrichment.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Look. Traveling in the Don's time machine aint cheap. And since he stopped by Mar A Lago, obviously tax payers need to pay for it. So enough with the nitpicking, prease.

At least Bill Clinton had the decency to borrow his friends jets like Jeffrey Epstein...

Heck, Bill was so mindful of tax dollars while Hillary was in office that he chose to fly in Epstein’s jet over 25 times....

I am aghast a politician would have the audacity to take his wife on a business trip...

These powerful men should’ve chosen he moral route like Bill Clinton....pun intended

-Chris

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: Grambler

I think that even people who start out with good intentions, finding themselves in an environment of casual, endemic corruption, have a hard time resisting.

Then there's a lot of greedy f's who start out with bad intentions and see politics as a means to self-enrichment.

Don't always agree with you, but well said...

a reply to: theantediluvian

Now I know this is a RT vid but it captures a French Tanker delivering Russian Gas to the US . For the life of me I cant square this circle what with the sanctions and the US being the largest Gas producer in the world

originally posted by: DogStarIn1066
a reply to: theantediluvian
No big deal. We knew that Trump and his administration would be like this when we elected him, right?


MAGA!

I think a lot of people who voted for Trump believed that his fortune insulated him from the typical corrupting influences of politicians who are constantly pandering to finance their campaigns and that his decades of business experience meant he would appoint good people to do good things.

These voters have shown a willingness to cut him a lot of slack but you have to wonder if they won't become increasingly disillusioned by his #ty appointments and the constant chaos of this administration.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I didn't vote for him...but cut him slack nonetheless. Ill likely continue to. Partly because of the ridiculousness thrown at him makes him at least partially a sympathetic figure. But more so, it looks like we may see the FBI dealt with.

As a late teen, seeing the fire break out that killed all those women and children in Waco has always stuck in my craw. They've done precious little to re-earn my trust, and have done much to ruin any trust I may have had. Ruby Ridge. Dallas terror attack. Etc, etc.

a reply to: theantediluvian

"The highest IQ of any cabinet ever" amiright? Now we get to experience Trump's White House doctor, Dr. Ronny L. Jackson who previously gushed about Trump's excellent health, with no managerial experience whatsoever heading up the 2nd largest department in the Executive Branch. The VA. YAY!

You'd think that Trump fans would start being a little weary about blanket trusting Trump's appointees by now? Ah well, let the Trump Admin's theme song play!

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: Grambler

I think that even people who start out with good intentions, finding themselves in an environment of casual, endemic corruption, have a hard time resisting.

yi think you just described the new democratic party