Top Ethics Official Raises Concerns About Pruitt in Letter to EPA

David Apol, the director of the Office of Government Ethics, sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency’s ethics official, Kevin Minoli, inquiring about Administrator Scott Pruitt’s potential ethics violations, according to The New York Times. In the letter, Apol raised concerns about Pruitt’s $50-a-night Capitol Hill rental, his flights home to Oklahoma on the government's dime, and reports of Pruitt punishing employees who questioned his spending habits. Apol asked whether “the administrator paid market value” for his rental, and stated that the flights back to Pruitt’s home state “do raise concerns about whether the administrator is using his public office for personal gain in violation of ethics rules.” He also said that the alleged punishment of employees who wanted to enforce ethics rules could “undermine” the EPA’s integrity. “The success of our Government depends on maintaining the trust of the people we serve,” Apol wrote. “If a violation is found, OGE also expect that appropriate action will be taken in response.”