Protect the Public’s Trust (PPT) announced its findings during an investigation into a former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official’s ethics violations. Recent findings show an omission of important details during the initial investigation into the ethics complaint. 

EPA official David Batson was a senior alternative dispute resolution (ADR) specialist and ADR counsel. He was involved in the Diamond Alkali Superfund site, and continued his involvement after he left the agency in 2015. PPT filed a complaint with the EPA Inspector General about this continued involvement in 2023.

Records show that upon receiving PPT’s complaint, Justina Fugh, the head of the EPA’s ethics office, omitted important facts, causing the PPT to submit a follow up complaint to rebut “four erroneous claims Ms. Fugh made in her defense” of Batson.

“Government prohibition against self-dealing, switching sides, and avoiding conflicts of interest probably seem obvious to most Americans,” said PPT Director Michael Chamberlain. “The public would also expect that those individuals charged with enforcing those rules and holding officials to account would be sure to carefully evaluate all the facts before dismissing valid concerns. However, as PPT continues to encounter incident after incident at EPA, this may be too much to hope for.”

Protect the Public’s Trust is an advocacy organization that wants to ”monitor and inform the American people about the self-dealing and conflicts of interest, and the improper and illegal behavior of senior officials across the government,” according to their website. Based in Washington D.C., its current director is Michael Chamberlain.