EPA/SCOTT PRUITT: “Scott Pruitt’s flights in first class or via military jets are for security purposes, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator told The New Hampshire Union Leader on Tuesday [2-13-18].
Pruitt said he flew first class from Washington to Boston for his New Hampshire trip Tuesday… The Washington Post analyzed records and reported Monday that Pruitt’s use of taxpayer funds on first-class flights and luxury hotels exceeded his predecessors…
According to the Post, Pruitt traveled to Rome, and included a ride from a White House event in Cincinnati to New York in a military jet, totaling at least $90,000. Last October, according to a memo previously reported on by CNN, the EPA’s inspector general had ‘plans to expand the scope’ of its inquiry into Pruitt’s travels.
The EPA often cited unspecified security concerns for flying first class, records obtained by the Environmental Integrity Project and The Washington Post via the Freedom of Information Act showed. In his interview with the Union Leader, Pruitt said he was ‘not involved’ in the decisions regarding his security and travel… Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price was scrutinized for his use of private jets on multiple government business trips. He eventually resigned after the department’s inspector general opened an investigation looking into the matter.”
-Sophie Tatum, “EPA chief Scott Pruitt says first-class travel is for security purposes,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Feb. 13, 2018 06:11pm