Testifying before Congress on Wednesday, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt denied reports that he reassigned or demoted staffers who questioned his lavish spending and unusual security practices.
In particular, Pruitt said he was unaware that a staffer who reported concerns about the administrator’s behavior was placed on administrative leave without pay, as the New York Times reported.
“I had limited interaction with Kevin,” Pruitt said. “In fact, most interaction that I had with him was in the field, he was effectively the head of advance. And I can say to you that I’m not aware of any personnel decision being made with respect to the person you are referring to, with respect to any policy issues or budget issues or spending issues. I just simply didn’t have that kind of interaction with Kevin. So I don’t know to what he’s referring to.”
