U.S. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Cali.), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (OGR), today sent two letters regarding Robert Brenner's role in facilitating the fraud and theft of convicted felon and former senior official of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) John Beale.
"The need for Congress to investigate the exact nature of Robert Brenner's role is underscored by the fact that he has so far refused to cooperate with the EPA Office of Inspector General and declined to respond to a request for information," wrote Vitter and Issa. "We have evidence that suggests Brenner provided false testimony before Congress, and that Brenner often corroborated Beale's lies. In light of these troubling facts, it appears Beale could not have accomplished his crimes without Brenner's assistance."
The EPW and OGR Committees have been jointly investigating the details surrounding the fraudulent conduct of John Beale, including Brenner's role.
The first letter sent to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy today requests all of Brenner's documents currently in EPA's possession that refer or relate to Beale, created the time Beale was first hired in November 1987 and Brenner's retirement in August 2011, as well as correspondence between Brenner and Beale during that same timeframe.
The second letter sent to Brenner's lawyer, Justin Shur, requests every document in Brenner's possession that refers or relates to Beale.
In March 2014, EPW Republicans released a report entitled, "EPA's Playbook Unveiled: A Story of Fraud, Deceit, and Secret Science ," which detailed Beale's role in major policy decisions at the EPA.
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