government: Smotkin is registered as a foreign agent representing Morocco and in April won a $40,000-a-month contract, retroactive to January 1, to “promote the kingdom’s cultural and economic interests.”Īccording to the Post, Smotkin accompanied Pruitt on multiple stops during his visit, including a trip to Green Energy Park and dinner on the E.P.A. According to allegations made by Kevin Chmielewski, the E.P.A.’s deputy chief of staff who was put on leave without pay earlier this year, Pruitt often made travel decisions based on his “desire to visit particular cities or countries rather than official business,” and then told staff to “‘find me something to do ’ to justify the use of taxpayer funds.” In this case, however, the Morocco trip seems to simultaneously align with Pruitt’s habit of doing lobbyists a solid on behalf of the U.S. administrator’s 2017 trip to Morocco-a jaunt that was already looking a little tenuous based on lawmakers’ sense that Pruitt simply wanted to visit the African country, and contrived an excuse to make it seem like legitimate business. The Washington Post reports that Richard Smotkin, a former Comcast lobbyist who has known Pruitt for around a decade, basically arranged most of the E.P.A. taxpayers back six figures and was arranged by another one of his lobbyist pals. Still, we would be remiss if we didn’t note fresh information about Pruitt’s little trip to Morocco, which apparently set U.S. Instead, on every day that ends in “Y,” we’ve learned that Pruitt had a shady housing arrangement with a lobbyist, or installed a $43,000 phone booth in his office, or asked his driver to use sirens to speed through traffic so he could get to happy hour on time, or asked his staff to rent him a $100,000-a-month private plane to accommodate his “travel needs.” So when little things happen, such as the head of Pruitt’s security detail-the guy who reportedly insisted Pruitt fly first class for safety reasons- resigning amid scrutiny, it barely makes the news cycle. chief were found to have respected taxpayer money, or didn’t fire a whistleblower for questioning his use of government resources. On a near-daily basis, stories have emerged supporting Pruitt’s nomination for Most Blatantly Corrupt Trump Official, to the point that it would seem more newsworthy if the E.P.A.
If, over the past month or so, you’ve come down with a case of Scott Pruitt fatigue, you’re not alone.
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