Energy and Commerce Democrats sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inspector General’s office today urging the independent office to take over the review of Administrator Scott Pruitt’s potential ethics violations, which was requested by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) last week.
The letter was signed by Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-CO), Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Paul Tonko (D-NY) and full committee Vice Ranking Member Kathy Castor (D-FL).
Last week, OGE sent a letter to a top EPA ethics official encouraging a review of Administrator Pruitt’s alleged ethical misconduct. Committee Democrats are requesting that the Inspector General’s office conduct the review, citing concerns that EPA ethics officials may not be able to conduct an impartial review.
“Agency officials are generally in the best position to ascertain the relevant facts and address any individual conflicts of interest or system deficiencies," the Democrats wrote in their letter to the EPA Inspector General. “However, as outlined in our earlier requests, we have serious concerns that the determinations issued by EPA’s ethics officials may have been based on incomplete information or influenced by pressure from EPA’s political leadership."
In calling for the Inspector General’s independent review, the Democrats also expressed concern that EPA ethics officials would be unable to conduct an impartial review of their own past ethics determinations.
Earlier today, the four Committee Democratic leaders called on Administrator Pruitt to resign. In their letter, they wrote that the investigation is important regardless of whether or not Pruitt leads the EPA because these issues must be fully addressed in order to ensure EPA’s ethics program is effectively preventing conflicts of interest on the part of executive branch employees.
