FREQUENT FLYER

Ex-EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Spent Nearly $124,000 on ‘Excessive Airfare,’ Agency Watchdog Says

More than three-quarters of Pruitt’s flights were in first class.

Scott Pruitt, the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, spent nearly $124,000 on unnecessary air travel between March 1, 2017, and the end of the year, according to a new report from the EPA’s Office of the Inspector General. Pruitt resigned seven months later, after several reports on his alleged abuse of agency resources sparked an investigation. The majority of Pruitt’s travel costs were for airfare, and more than three-quarters of the flights he took were in first class, according to the IG report. Nearly half of all of Pruitt’s trips included travel to or had stops in Tulsa, Oklahoma—his home city. The inspector general examined 40 trips for the report, six of which were canceled but still resulted in expenses for the EPA. The IG initially planned to only look at travel from March to July 2017, but twice extended the scope after additional requests were made. The total cost of all the trips, including those canceled, was $985,037.