Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt has famously flown many times in first class. Not anymore. The administrator told CBS News he’s moving to the back of the plane:
“…that is what’s going to happen on my very next flight. So those things are happening right away.”
The reason he’s flying first? Pruitt’s security detail has allegedly been alarmed by the hostile reaction the administrator has received from fellow passengers in coach. So, he, and his detail, have been flying first. Yes, the head of the EPA has a security detail.
During one stretch in June, Pruitt & Co. spent $90,000 on airfare, according to The Washington Post.
Pruitt’s pricey travel included, according to Bloomberg, a $1,641.43 trip from Washington, D.C. to New York City last June and a round-trip ticket to Italy last summer that cost taxpayers $7,003.52.
According to Politico, the “EPA initially claimed Pruitt had a “blanket waiver” to fly first class, an arrangement that would appear to violate federal law. Staffers later said that Pruitt cites security concerns when asking for approval for the more expensive tickets for each trip.”