Not just Democrats in the U.S. Senate are bombarding EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt with requests, but so is California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
He is the latest to demand copies of emails and virtually every communication Pruitt has made but this time, the request focuses on ethics issues. Becerra’s request is a formal Freedom of Information Act request with 32 specific questions about ethics agreements he signed on or after Nov. 9, 2016.
Some of the questions concern waivers of restrictions of executive orders, communications discussing a notice of disqualification, written recusal statements, compliance documents, and communications between any EPA employee and the Oklahoma Bar Association.
It was just a week ago that the State Bar association confirmed it had launched an ethics probe into Pruitt based on a complaint made following statements he gave during his confirmation hearing regarding the use of private email to conduct Oklahoma state government business.
Now the former California Democratic congressman wants to know more about any ethics issues regarding Pruitt since Donald Trump won the White House in November of 2016.
“The requested documents are likely to increase public understanding of the process EPA has employed to assure compliance with ethical standards with respect to its Administrator,” wrote Becerra in his FOIA request. “Information currently in the public domain in this regard consists of statements made by Mr. Pruitt and by an EPA ethics official prior to his confirmation as Administrator.”
He explained the public is unaware of “what EPA has done to ensure compliance now that the appearance of a conflict of interest has actually arisen.”
The actual FOIA request was made by Timothy E. Sullivan, Deputy Attorney General on behalf of Becerra.
