Holding Scott Pruitt Accountable
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been living in the lap of luxury, and all on the taxpayer’s dime. The Trump Administration is built on a culture of corruption and cronyism—and Pruitt is the number one culprit. He’s wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on first class flights and other absurd luxuries, like a $43,000 soundproof phone booth or dragging his 20-person security detail with him on trips to Disneyland and the Rose Bowl.
It then came out that Pruitt was renting a condo from the wife of a fossil fuel lobbyist. That same fossil fuel lobbyist had his client’s pipeline-expansion plan approved by the EPA while Pruitt was living in that condo. Further, Pruitt got a sweetheart deal on the rent: $50 a night, and he only had to pay for the nights he stayed at the condo.
Scandals like this prove that Pruitt is using his power for personal benefit, not environmental leadership.
Friends of the Earth is not letting him get away with this. We’re keeping Scott Pruitt’s name in headlines so none of his misdeeds go unnoticed. We took a creative turn in calling out his unethical actions, posting hundreds of posters across Washington, D.C. that highlighted his blatant corruption and favoritism of Big Oil.
These posters were a tremendous success. On the local level, we were able to inform D.C. passersby of Pruitt’s unethical behavior. And on the national level, we caught the attention of journalists from national publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Politico, Vice, Axios, the Wall Street Journal, ThinkProgress, and many others to get Pruitt’s name—and the posters themselves—in headlines across the country.
Here’s a compilation of journalists and news outlets spotting the posters. Photos can be found at the bottom of this post.
Following up on this action, Friends of the Earth also aired an ad on Fox & Friends calling out his corruption. The ad highlights a series of scandals that have rocked Pruitt in recent weeks, including his luxury travel, a sweetheart rental deal from the wife of an energy lobbyist, and Pruitt’s decision to undercut the White House to give pay raises to loyal political aides.
