A Democratic watchdog group claimed Thursday that EPA administrator Scott Pruitt illegally lobbied against the Paris climate accord before President Donald Trump eventually backed out of the non-binding agreement.
The American Democracy Legal Fund (ADLF) sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) complaining Pruitt violated an obscure lobbying law prohibiting federal agencies from spending taxpayer dollars before Congress can appropriate money. Federal employees are prohibited from lobbying to support or oppose any legislation.
ADLF claims Pruitt broke the law in April when he met with the National Mining Association, a lobbying group for the mining industry, and spent the bulk of his discussion railing against the Paris deal. Pruitt criticized the deal while members of Congress were introducing Paris-related pieces of legislation, most of which either sought to reaffirm or denounce the deal, the group’ complaint alleges.
“Scott Pruitt misused the taxpayer money that funds the EPA and the powers of his office with his illegal lobbying activities,” Brad Woodhouse, the head of ADLF, told reporters in a statement. A similar complaint was lodged against Pruitt’s predecessor, Gina McCarthy, who some believe illegally lobbied on behalf of the EPA’s so-called Waters of the United States rule (WOTUS).
GAO determined in 2015 that the EPA’s Thunderclap social media campaign in support of WOTUS constituted “covert propaganda, in violation of the publicity or propaganda prohibition.” McCarthy’s agency illegally linked to activist websites with petitions for the public to contact elected officials to voice support for beefing up regulations on American waterways.
Republicans ratcheted up their concerns after New York Times reported in May of that year that the agency “orchestrated a drive to counter political opposition from Republicans and enlist public support in concert with liberal environmental groups and a grassroots organization aligned with President Obama.”
Some academics familiar with the EPA and administrative functions believe Pruitt’s behavior mirror what McCarthy did with respect to the WOTUS rule.
“If he did it,” Jeffrey Lubbers, a law professor at American University said about Pruitt’s meeting, then “it seems like it’s of the same piece as what EPA was being charged with in the WOTUS rule making.”
ALDF also alleges that Pruitt, who sued the EPA nearly a dozen times when he was an Oklahoma AG, failed to make clear “whether Pruitt spoke on behalf of the EPA or himself” when he was criticizing the Paris deal. Lubbers of the American University is not convinced.
“When you’re appointed the head of the EPA, you’re always the head of EPA,” he told reporters. “So it was pretty clear he was speaking as the head of EPA. So I don’t see any covertness in his speech. So that part of it just strikes me as really far-fetched.”
Read more at Daily Caller
The liberal watchdog wears blinders
A watchdog barks. This lot only yap.
How many sue and settle deals did the EPA orchestrate with their
green lobby bunk mates ? How much fund science did the EPA buy
corrupt scientists in order for the EPA to screw the economy and USA workers ?
Why not start investigating those treasonous acts by bureaucrats
playing out their lobbyist’s agenda .
Is it an accident that EXXon became there go to target because they knew they could count on Exxon to play ball ?
Funny how liberal whiners like to point fingers while they are hands down the most corrupt , anti American group in the political arena . Trump won because the people in fly over country have had enough .
Democrats don’t have a message because their hedge fund owners are still in denial and haven’t told the dummies that are the face of the party what the message is . A national carbon tax , export more jobs , talk down to the deplorables some more . If only Hollywood flakes could win an election and California billions could just take over but sadly they don’t rate .
It is incredible just how hypocritical most liberals are in applying double standards. They accuse Trump’s EPA of illegally lobbying while Obama’s EPA violated its own policies to rush the release of an inaccurate report so it would influence the Paris Treaty negotiations. Both NOAA and NASA have altered historical data to support the climate change movement and had press releases stating “hottest” ever. This was obviously an effort to support the cause. NOAA released the totally fraudulent report on ocean acidification in another effort to support the cause. It is alarming how they think that different rules apply depending on which side of the issue someone is supporting.
I totally agree. When it comes to climate corruption, the Obama administration’s illegal and fraudulent activity makes the Pruitt charge look like j-walking put next to serial murder. What a bunch of hypocritical weasels!
100% agree David Lewis . Despite about 93% of the media being against President Trump the voters had a different idea . NOAA and NASA have trashed their reputations for what ? Funding ?
It is becomes absolutely clear Democrats used government agencies to spy and unmasking American citizens and political opponents. Orchestrating false climate propaganda for their
bagmen isn’t to big a leap .
It’s amazing anything of value gets done for the American people while lobbyist interests throw dirt at each other in a never ending
election cycle .
HORSE
SHIT
Talking to an interested but
NON-LEGISLATIVE
group
is to be considered lobbying ?
I can understand why brain deficients like
ANDRZEJEWSKI
are demorats and vice versa
Their lack of logical reasoning is what makes them
so inflammatory
so accusative
so verbose.
The facts were that Bruce(Babbling) Babbit Clinton’s Inferior Secretary belonged to the liberal League of Conservation Voters and many radical eco-wackos always try to get jobs in goverment agencies