WASHINGTON — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt asked members of his 24/7 security detail to run errands for him on occasion, including picking up his dry cleaning and taking him in search of a favorite moisturizing lotion, according to two individuals familiar with those trips who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly.
Meanwhile, Pruitt announced the resignation of his senior legal counsel on Thursday, the second departure of a top aide in as many days and one of a half-dozen since April amid barrages of ethics complaints and federal inquiries.
The counsel, Sarah Greenwalt, is scheduled to appear for questioning this month by a panel of House Oversight committee staffers investigating allegations of ethics violations against Pruitt.
On Wednesday, the EPA announced the resignation of Pruitt scheduler Millan Hupp. Hupp’s departure came after lawmakers released her testimony to the congressional panel that Pruitt had directed her to house hunt and carry out other personal errands for him, including asking the Trump International Hotel about buying a used mattress cheap.
Pruitt, who also enlisted agency staff in tasks that ranged from apartment hunting to securing a mattress for his personal use, faces congressional scrutiny over an expanding number of spending and management decisions. Federal rules bar public officials from receiving gifts from subordinates, including unpaid services, and from using their office for private gain.
Asked about the specific errands his security detail ran on his behalf, the EPA issued only a brief statement Thursday. ‘‘Administrator Pruitt follows the same security protocol whether he’s in his personal or official capacity,’’ spokeswoman Kelsi Daniell said.
As EPA chief, Pruitt has received round-the-clock protection since he took office in February 2017. While he and his aides have said such coverage stemmed from the unprecedented amount of threats he has faced — including a group that this week tweeted out his home address in Tulsa, Okla. — a recent letter from the EPA’s Office of Inspector General and emails obtained by The Washington Post indicate that a Trump appointee initially provided greater protection out of concern that the president’s controversial policies could spark a public backlash.
For the same reason, EPA staffers have said, Pruitt switched to flying first class after an individual approached him in an airport last year and used vulgar language. The administrator said he left decisions about his protective detail to his security agents, though he returned to flying coach earlier this year.
The protective detail cost taxpayers nearly $3.5 million during Pruitt’s first year on the job, according to EPA data, and is roughly triple the size of those of his immediate predecessors.
While EPA security agents are required to protect Pruitt at all times — both while he is working and during his off hours — the two individuals said the administrator had asked members of the detail to perform tasks that go beyond their primary function. In one instance, they said, he directed agents to drive him to multiple locations in search of a particular lotion on offer at Ritz-Carlton hotels.
One other occasions, they added, he asked agents to pick up his dry cleaning without him.
The top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Thomas Carper of Delaware, reiterated his call that Pruitt step down.
‘‘Americans deserve an EPA administrator who will work to carry out the agency’s mission to protect the public’s health and our environment,’’ Carper said Thursday. ‘‘Instead, Mr. Pruitt is using this critical agency to do his personal bidding on the taxpayers’ dime. Americans are fed up. Enough is enough.’’
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
