WASHINGTON -- Two top officials at the Environmental Protection Agency left their jobs, days after EPA administrator Scott Pruitt told lawmakers that his subordinates were to blame for ethics problems that have imperiled his political future and prompted more than a dozen federal investigations.
In statements Tuesday, Pruitt praised the two men -- Pasquale "Nino" Perrotta, the security chief, and Albert Kelly, who ran the EPA's Superfund program -- and gave no reason for their unexpected departures.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that a December trip that Pruitt took to Morocco was partly arranged by a longtime friend and lobbyist who accompanied Pruitt and his entourage at multiple stops and served as an informal liaison at official and social events during the visit.
Richard Smotkin, a former Comcast lobbyist who has known the EPA administrator for years, worked for months with Pruitt's aides to hammer out logistics for the trip, according to four individuals familiar with preparations for the trip.
Perrotta, the EPA security official, was expected to appear today for a transcribed interview by the staff of the House Oversight Committee, one of the congressional bodies and federal organizations investigating reports of excessive spending by Pruitt and other issues at the agency. Perrotta's resignation was not expected to derail his appearance.
EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox said the departures were unrelated to the federal investigations and that the agency was fully cooperating with the congressional probe, led by House oversight panel chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.
Pruitt's spending on security and some of the security contracts with Perrotta are among the topics of the federal probes involving the EPA under Pruitt, a former Oklahoma attorney general.
At House hearings last week, Pruitt weathered six hours of questions, criticism and a couple of calls from congressional Democrats to resign over the steady flow of news reports and announcements of new investigations allegations of ethical lapses at his agency. They include spending on Pruitt's behalf for round-the-clock security guards, first-class plane tickets and a $43,000 soundproof telephone booth.
Pruitt repeatedly deflected blame last week, describing subordinates as going too far in carrying out their duties, in excesses that occurred without his knowledge.
On Tuesday, it was unclear if lawmakers from Pruitt's majority party would take the internal shakeup as a needed and promised house-cleaning by Pruitt or an indication of even greater trouble at the agency.
Pruitt said in his statements that Perrotta was retiring after a 23-year government career that included time in the Secret Service and under previous EPA administrators. He praised Perrotta for hard work and dedication.
Pruitt thanked Kelly for what he said was his "tremendous impact" in Kelly's year overseeing the nation's Superfund program, in charge of handling the cleanup of toxic waste sites.
Pruitt hired Kelly, an Oklahoma banker, at the EPA after federal banking regulators banned Kelly from banking for the rest of his life. Regulators have not publicly specified the actions that led to the banking ban. Days ago, Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., pressed Pruitt for more details about why Kelly had been sanctioned.
"I think Mr. Kelly, if he's willing to share that with you, he should do that," Pruitt said Thursday.
Pruitt's four-day journey to Morocco has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and the EPA inspector general, who is investigating its high costs and whether it adhered to the agency's mission to "protect human health and the environment."
In April, Smotkin won a $40,000-a-month contract, retroactive to Jan. 1, with the Moroccan government to promote the kingdom's cultural and economic interests. He recently registered as a foreign agent representing that government.
The visit's cost exceeded $100,000, more than twice what has been previously reported.
Information for this article was contributed by Ellen Knickmeyer of The Associated Press; and by Kevin Sullivan, Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis of The Washington Post.
A Section on 05/02/2018