EPA/ETHICS/SCOTT PRUITT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt on Thursday rejected a litany of ethics complaints against him as distortions intended to derail President Donald Trump’s agenda, and put much of the blame for any agency missteps on his staff.During two tense congressional hearings, Pruitt faced tough questions from Democrats and even some fellow Republicans in marathon high-stakes testimony as he seeks to avoid becoming the latest in a long list of Cabinet members and senior White House officials to have either been fired by Trump or quit…Trump’s inner circle has become frustrated by the torrent of news reports about Pruitt including his costly first-class air travel and around-the-clock security, pay raises given to aides and his rental of a room in a high-end Washington condo linked to an energy lobbyist with business before his agency. Pruitt remained even-tempered and unapologetic throughout more than five hours of testimony, often avoiding being pinned down on specifics or deflecting responsibility for clear missteps onto his staff – a strategy that drew mixed reviews.”
-Valerie Volcovici, Richard Cowan, “Grilled by lawmakers, Trump’s EPA chief calls ethics scandals lies,” Reuters, April 26, 2018 10:07 pm