CHANGE OF HEART

Report: EPA’s Chief Ethics Officer Urges More Scott Pruitt Investigations

After initially defending the embattled EPA head.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s top ethics officer has called on the agency’s inspector general to investigate abuse of power allegations against Scott Pruitt after he said “additional potential issues” came to light, The New York Times reports. The official, Kevin Minoli, had initially approved several controversial decisions by Pruitt, including his $50-a-night condo rental from a health-care lobbyist, a move that sparked conflict-of-interest concerns. But in a letter to the Office of Government Ethics, Minoli said he was recommending further scrutiny of the EPA head due to new information “through sources within the EPA and media reports,” according to the Times. Minoli did not spell out the additional accusations against Pruitt, but a source cited by The Washington Post said they concerned instances in which Pruitt allegedly had subordinates perform personal tasks for him during work hours.