SUSPICIOUS

Report: Scott Pruitt Spent Most of His First Months at EPA at Home in Oklahoma

Frequent trips cost estimated $12,000 in federally funded airfare, report says.

Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt has reportedly spent 43 out of 92 days from March to May in his home state of Oklahoma. The Environmental Integrity Project, a nonprofit watchdog founded by former EPA officials, released its findings on Pruitt’s travels in a report to be published Monday, citing information from Pruitt’s calendar and documents on travel expenses. According to the report, cited by The New York Times late Sunday, the trips cost an estimated $12,000 in federally funded airfare. An EPA spokeswoman told the Times all of the trips involved agency business, though staff members reportedly complained they were having trouble scheduling meetings with Pruitt out of town so often. “He needs to say why spending half his time in Oklahoma and having one meeting per trip is performing his duties as an administrator,” Eric Schaeffer, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project, told the Times.