Former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt had more encounters with Democratic Senators this week in Washington and one left him with a political slap in the face. Even mocking him.
It happened as Pruitt, now head of the Environmental Protection Agency went before a U.S. Senate committee where he had an encounter with Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont. It resulted in Leahy mocking Pruitt who’s drawn criticism for the money he spent on first-class travel and his claim he needed it for security reasons.
“What a silly reason you had to fly first class,” Leahy said. “Because of a danger to you, you had to fly first class … Nobody even knows who you are.”
Pruitt still contends he has received death threats and has been the target of environmentalists.
“Oh, somebody might criticize you?” Leahy continued. “You got security people that we’ve never seen before. But you have to fly first class? Oh, come on.”
“According to EPA’s assistant inspector general, Scott Pruitt has faced an unprecedented amount of death threats against him and his family,” said EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox in a statement last month.
Pruitt’s flying habits and 24/7 security detail have cost taxpayers since he began leading the EPA. A weeklong trip to Italy last summer cost taxpayers $120,000.