Carper, Whitehouse Decry EPA Inspector General’s Decision to Close Probes into Former EPA Chief Pruitt

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), raised serious concerns after the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General (EPA OIG) released its semi-annual report to Congress that includes its decision to close two investigations requested by the Senators into former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. The EPA OIG’s report cites his resignation as reason for the office’s inability to complete the investigations.

“Scott Pruitt set a new bar for unethical behavior by a Trump cabinet official, and that’s saying a lot. We appreciate the problems of investigating Pruitt’s abject abuse of government position once he’s fled EPA, but walking away leaves the full story of what took place in EPA’s highest position untold,” the senators said. “The whole truth matters, and the Inspector General office should do all it can to make sure we never see behavior like this at EPA again.”

Investigations requested by Senators Carper and Whitehouse that the EPA OIG terminated include:

• In May, Senators Carper, Whitehouse, and Udall wrote a letter to EPA OIG to request an investigation into potential violations of federal regulations by Pruitt during a real estate search by a top aide.
• In June, Senators Carper, Whitehouse, and Udall wrote a letter to EPA OIG to request an investigation into Pruitt’s use of his official position to pursue family business opportunities.

###