Pruitt’s Landlord Lacked License to Rent Out Room, Officials Say

The landlord who rented Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt a Capitol Hill bedroom for $50-a-night “did not have a license to rent out a room,” according to ABC News. Washington D.C.’s consumer affairs agency “has issued a Notice of Infraction to the [landlord] for engaging in unlicensed rental housing activity,” according to a release issued on Thursday. The landlord, Vicki Hart, is the wife of energy lobbyist J. Steven Hart. ABC News reports that the permit is “required in the city for Airbnb-style rentals,” and the Harts may be subject to a $2,000 fine. Pruitt has been under fire for the lease, and an EPA ethics official said Thursday that he didn’t have all the facts when evaluating whether it was in violation of ethics rules.