WASHINGTON — The federal government’s top ethics official has taken the unusual step of sending a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency questioning a series of actions by Administrator Scott Pruitt and asking the agency to take “appropriate actions to address any violations.’’
The letter, sent to Kevin Minoli, the agency’s chief ethics official, addresses questions about Pruitt’s rental for $50 a night of a condominium linked to an energy lobbyist, as well as his government-funded flights to his home state of Oklahoma.
The letter also cites reports in The New York Times that agency staff members who raised concerns about these and other matters found themselves transferred or demoted.
“The success of our government depends on maintaining the trust of the people we serve,’’ said David J. Apol, acting director of the Office of Government Ethics, in the letter sent Monday to the EPA.
“The American public needs to have confidence that ethics violations, as well as the appearance of ethics violations, are investigated and appropriately addressed,’’ Apol wrote.
The letter addresses three areas of concern. The first is related to the Capitol Hill condo Pruitt rented early last year from the wife of an energy lobbyist whose firm had business matters before the EPA.
Apol noted that Pruitt did not apparently seek advice about the appropriateness of the deal until after he had moved out.
Then, the agency ethics officer who was asked to evaluate the matter, which took place this month following news reports about the lease, was given “limited information’’ about the deal and wasn’t informed, for example, that Pruitt’s daughter also used the condo.
“Additional information has now come to light that calls into question whether the earlier determination that the administrator paid market value for the use he made of the apartment would still be valid,’’ Apol’s letter says.
The trips home to Oklahoma, on flights the government paid for, also concerned Apol, who said they “do raise concerns about whether the administrator is using his public office for personal gain in violation of ethics rules.’’
Apol noted there were also news reports that an EPA staff member had been asked to help Pruitt find an apartment in Washington, which might violate the rules.
Most disturbing, Apol said, were the reports in The Times that agency staff may have been punished after raising concerns about Pruitt’s actions.
“If true, it is hard to imagine any action that could more effectively undermine an agency’s integrity than punishing or marginalizing employees who strive to ensure compliance with the laws and regulations that safeguard that integrity,’’ the letter says.
The Office of Government Ethics does not have the power to punish Pruitt or to demand that he respond to the letter. But as the chief ethics officer for the executive branch of the federal government, Apol has clout, and he can ask that President Trump take action to punish a federal official who has violated federal rules.
Also Monday, the staff of the House Oversight Committee said it has expanded its review of Pruitt’s travel spending to include questions surrounding his bargain condo rental.
Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, chairman of the Environment Committee, voiced support for Pruitt after other Republicans expressed concern.
He said Pruitt has accomplished key priorities as head of the EPA, mainly in reversing ‘‘punishing regulations’’ imposed under President Barack Obama. Barrasso said he saw the positive impact of Pruitt’s actions late last month as he and Pruitt toured a Wyoming coal mine.
Barrasso acknowledged that ‘‘certain questions have been raised about internal operations’’ at the EPA and about Pruitt’s actions, but said he will wait for a White House review before reaching a judgment.
Three Republican senators criticized Pruitt in Sunday television interviews, the Associated Press reported. On CBS’s “Face the Nation,’’ Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana called Pruitt’s behavior stupid and ‘‘juvenile’’ and urged him to ‘‘stop acting like a chucklehead, stop the unforced errors, stop leading with your chin.’’
“If you don’t need to fly first class, don't. Don’t turn on the siren on your SUV just to watch people move over,’’ Kennedy said. “You represent the president of the United States.’’
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said the $50-a-night condo rental was troubling, adding that most people could not get a room for $50 a night in Washington.
Senator Susan Collins of Maine called Pruitt ‘‘the wrong person to head the EPA’’ and said, ‘‘This daily drip of accusations of excessive spending and ethical violations serve to further distract the agency from accomplishing its very important mission.’’
