Scott Pruitt requested, received 24/7 security starting on his first day at EPA
Source: The Washington Post
By Brady Dennis and Juliet Eilperin May 14 at 3:51 PM
Scott Pruitt began receiving round-the-clock security from the moment he stepped foot inside the Environmental Protection Agency in February 2017, the agency’s inspector general said Monday.
“EPA’s Protective Service Detail began providing 24/7 coverage of the Administrator the first day he arrived,” Inspector General Arthur Elkins wrote in response to inquiries from Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) and Thomas R. Carper (Del.) about what threats prompted Pruitt’s nonstop security, which has cost in excess of $3 million. “The decision was made by the Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training after being informed that Mr. Pruitt requested 24/7 protection once he was confirmed as Administrator.”
The inspector general’s office, which investigates threats made against any EPA employees, “played no role in this decision,” Elkins added.
The EPA could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday. But agency officials, including Pruitt, have said repeatedly that he has experienced notably more threats than previous administrators. And Pruitt has maintained that he left decisions about the size of his security detail, as well as related decisions such as traveling first class for safety, to Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta, the special agent in charge of protecting him.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/05/14/scott-pruitt-requested-and-received-247-security-starting-on-his-first-day-at-epa/
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