The Environmental Protection Agency's internal watchdog announced Friday he is investigating the agency's scandal-scarred administrator, Scott Pruitt, over a conspicuously affordable Capitol Hill condo he rented from a powerful energy lobbyist couple.
Pruitt, who is facing severe scrutiny over a dizzying number of ethical scandals involving pricey taxpayer-funded travel, security and accommodation, rented an upscale Washington, D.C., condo from Vicki and Steven Hart for six months last year.
Pruitt leased the space for the impossibly inexpensive rate of $50 per night. Steven Hart, an influential D.C. oil and gas lobbyist, had matters pending before the EPA while Pruitt lived at the Capitol Hill pad.
Amid pressure from lawmakers, EPA Inspector General Arthur Enkins said in a letter Friday his office will look into whether the condo rental violated government ethics rules.
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., who had called on Enkins to launch an investigation, praised the announcement.
"My #FridayFeeling is that Scott Pruitt is in deep trouble," Lieu tweeted.
Pruitt spokesman Jahan Wilcox declined to comment.
Pruitt was grilled by lawmakers for several hours Thursday, as calls for his resignation continued to mount.
The climate change-skeptical EPA chief denied any wrongdoing, and claimed any assertions to the contrary are part of an effort to undermine the Trump administration's anti-regulatory agenda.
In addition to congressional inquiries, the Government Accountability Office found last week that Pruitt violated federal spending laws by installing a private phone booth in his office that cost taxpayers more than $43,000.
Despite a multifaceted ethics scandal, President Donald Trump has vigorously defended Pruitt, commending him on doing a "great" job under "siege."
