
While Americaâs focus has rightly been on the Trump administrationâs draconian border policing, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is out here balling!
According to The Intercept, Pruitt has now spent some $4.6 million on security, a $1.1 million increase since his last financial disclosure, and âaccording to three expense line items for April, spent a total of $2,749.62 on âtactical pantsâ and âtactical polos.ââ
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Nigga, what?
Does Pruitt mean khakis and police-style polos? Where in the hell is he buying his tactical pants and polos from? Barneys? Any child who has ever gone to private school knows that you can get a Hefty-bag-ful of âtactical polos and pantsâ at Burlington Coat Factory for less than $200. Why is Pruitt this way, and more important, why donât Republicansâthe budget-line hawksâgive a shit?
Pruittâs spending has been under intense scrutiny since it was discovered that the EPA head was spending money like Richard Pryor in Brewsterâs Millions.
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Hereâs how The Intercept explains Pruittâs spending habits:
In May, CNBC and other outlets reported that the mounting cost of Pruittâs security detail had reached $3.5 million, but that didnât include any of the cost of equipment or the most recent salary and travelexpenditures.
Despite the mounting criticism of Pruittâs high spending, his security expenses have continued to rise. Security payroll spending for his office increased in the most recent quarter by $138,373 â totaling $742,205 and almost double the cost from the same period in 2017.
EPA administrators are not typically provided with 24-hour protection, but Pruitt has received the service. The EPA defended the move by pointing to an increased number of threats. Yet Senate Democrats claim that they have reviewed an internal EPA security assessment and that no actual credible threats have been received. According to the lawmakers, among the threats considered by the EPA were protesters asking questions at events and a postcard received by Pruittâs office that said, âClimate change is real!! We are watching you.â
Pruittâs office spent $24,115 on a variety of tactical clothing and body armor in seven separate orders. All of the tactical gear was purchased in 2018, more than a year into Pruittâs tenure as EPA chief. The agency spent a staggering $88,603 on radios and accessories, including holsters and travel chargers.
According to the expense records, Pruittâs office also spent $150,900 on leasing vehicles. The list of expenditures does not break down how many vehicles were leased or any specific details about them, but the rate is considerably higher than past expenses along these lines. By contrast, when Pruitt received an upgraded Chevy Suburban with bullet-resistant seats, the one-year lease for that vehicle had cost $10,200.
The agency also spent $931 in September 2017 on a âbreaching kitâ â items typically used by law enforcement to gain entry to a locked building or vehicle. Pruittâs security team has run into problems with locked doors before: His security detail called the police to his apartment on March 29, 2017, when they became concerned that they couldnât contact him. Pruitt was taking a nap, but the police and guards smashed down the door and eventually had to pay $2,460 to replace it. Despite that embarrassment, the security detail now has its own door-smasher.
The security expense records also show that $6,786 was spent to install a card reader in the security detail office and to connect a panic alarm from Pruittâs office to sound in their office.
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At some point, someone is going to have to rein Pruitt in. Either that or expect the EPA head to show up at his next congressional hearing dripping in diamonds.

