House Democrats Raise Concerns about Moonlighting at EPA

[HomerThompson]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Democrats want answers from Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt about political appointees in his agency who got special permission to moonlight for outside clients, which they said may compromise their impartiality.

Top Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its oversight subcommittee said they sent questions to Pruitt on Monday after receiving documents they requested six months ago, which they said leave “many vital questions unanswered” about EPA appointees holding outside jobs.

The lawmakers, led by New Jersey Democrat Frank Pallone, said in their letter that they were sending it “regarding serious concerns of impartiality of current U.S. EPA political appointees and to request additional information regarding appointees engaged in outside activity for compensation.”

Several current political appointees got approval by the EPA’s ethics office to engage in outside activity for compensation, agency records show.

Those employees include John Konkus, deputy associate administrator of public affairs, who was tapped by Pruitt to screen EPA grants, weeding out those that dealt with climate change or other issues not considered a priority by the Trump administration, the Washington Post reported last September.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...fficials-with-outside-jobs-idUSKCN1GI2M4?il=0

Swamp that drain!!!

 

[zebby23]

It all starts from the top... These types of things did not happen in the Obama administration because he was a professional. Trump is a stooge and if the boss lets people get away with it than why would anyone not take advantage.

You have Steve Mnuchin flying around in private jets
You have Scott Pruitt flying around in private jets
You have Kelly Anne Conway violating the Hatch act on numerous occasions
You have Jared Kushner's company getting hundreds of millions of dollars in loans while his father in law is president
You have Donald Trump himself spending a third of his time at his Maralago Estate
You have Ben Carson ordered $31,000 furniture

Where does it end with these crooks?

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

Just how bad is the pay at the EPA?

 

[Bobby 3 Sticks]

Just how bad is the pay at the EPA?

Probably more than I make

Someone get me Pruitts email so I can give my resume . I only fly private jets though. I'd receive too much backlash if spotted by the commons

 

[Witchhunt]

I've got EPA folks cutting my lawn. Have to pay them in cash.

 

[panamaican]

Good to know. Hope it results in some positive change. The subject itself just indicates that these people aren't about governing for the people, they're governing for their special interests and they're not even pretending anymore. How are you screening grants and getting paid as a consultant at the same time? Is there not an obvious conflict of interest? The list of overtly questionable shit being done to agencies that exist to protect the average American should make everyone who's not a partisan hack really pay attention.

 

[HomerThompson]

Good to know. Hope it results in some positive change. The subject itself just indicates that these people aren't about governing for the people, they're governing for their special interests and they're not even pretending anymore. How are you screening grants and getting paid as a consultant at the same time? Is there not an obvious conflict of interest? The list of overtly questionable shit being done to agencies that exist to protect the average American should make everyone who's not a partisan hack really pay attention.

Degradation of our institutions is super dangerous. Way more so than Trump tweeting more nonsense. I hope he goes down for collusion(I think he definitely did that shit), but I would much prefer the news cover the real meat of his cancerous impact on our society.

Standards and practices are getting BTFO!!! left and right.

 

[curryjunkie]

Good to know. Hope it results in some positive change. The subject itself just indicates that these people aren't about governing for the people, they're governing for their special interests and they're not even pretending anymore. How are you screening grants and getting paid as a consultant at the same time? Is there not an obvious conflict of interest? The list of overtly questionable shit being done to agencies that exist to protect the average American should make everyone who's not a partisan hack really pay attention.

imagine the food and drug administration appointing this guy to head it up,one who bans the use of the term "healthy balanced diet" thats the equivalent in todays EPA

 

[panamaican]

Degradation of our institutions is super dangerous. Way more so than Trump tweeting more nonsense. I hope he goes down for collusion(I think he definitely did that shit), but I would much prefer the news cover the real meat of his cancerous impact on our society.

Standards and practices are getting BTFO!!! left and right.

Absolutely. They're stripping away the very things that protect Americans from predatory corporate practices. Standards and practices that arose from years, if not decades, of combating those behaviors. As a society that looks out for all Americans, we're moving backwards under this administration.

 

[curryjunkie]

Absolutely. They're stripping away the very things that protect Americans from predatory corporate practices. Standards and practices that arose from years, if not decades, of combating those behaviors. As a society that looks out for all Americans, we're moving backwards under this administration.

america has always valued the corporation over the rights of individuals, union is practically a dirty word.
" greed is good" is not seen as just a film quote, but lionized, anyone speaking against it is "jealous"
but this admin is taking it to new lows, whats fascinating to me is how complicit the electorate is in it, cheering it on even
the very people that voted trump in claim to have done so because the regular working man was forgotten, so they elected a narcissistic billionare to amend that.
he in turn has put foxes in charge of the government henhouse, and half the country is ok with it.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

What else do you expect from President Mountebanks administration?

 

[AnGrYcRoW]

Absolutely. They're stripping away the very things that protect Americans from predatory corporate practices. Standards and practices that arose from years, if not decades, of combating those behaviors. As a society that looks out for all Americans, we're moving backwards under this administration.

You're just a rustled Lib though ....MAGA

 

[aitkenmike]

Degradation of our institutions is super dangerous. Way more so than Trump tweeting more nonsense. I hope he goes down for collusion(I think he definitely did that shit), but I would much prefer the news cover the real meat of his cancerous impact on our society.

Standards and practices are getting BTFO!!! left and right.

Yep, I remember a poll 6 months or so ago about the greatest danger/worst thing about the Trump Presidency, and although it wasn't an option, my vote was for the normalising of the low level corruption/ignoring of unwritten norms of behaviour. I think a lot of the big stuff can be covered by constitutional structures, but this 'small' stuff is what can really destroy confidence in government.