Thread by @Otpor17

"@DonaldJTrumpJr called IREO “truly a fantastic group” when the companies announced the project in April 2016"

Trump Organization’s real estate partner in India IREO accused of defrauding its foreign investors of at least $147 million
(h/t @Khanoisseur)
washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pac…

.@EPAScottPruitt spent over $105,000 on first-class flights in 2017, in addition to the $58,000 Pruitt rang up on charter flights and a military jet to carry him from an event with Trump in Cincinnati to catch a connecting flight to Europe out of NY
politi.co/2DJ0WR5

Former official: @DonaldJTrumpJr pushed ‘blatantly illegal’ project in India

Trump project in Mumbai had its permits revoked after investigators found “significant irregularities", including a suspected $100 million fraud scheme propublica.org/article/trump-…

Utterly shameless.

For much of his first year in Washington, @EPAScottPruitt occupied prime real estate in a townhouse near the US Capitol that is co-owned by the wife of a top energy lobbyist #kleptocracy
abcn.ws/2GiZ87P

911 tapes reveal that @EPAScottPruitt's security detail broke down the door at the Capitol Hill condo where he was living (#pt) believing he was unconscious and unresponsive and needed rescue, in a bizarre incident last year the EPA has refused to discuss
abcn.ws/2pT5rUk

As new details emerge, @EPAScottPruitt's housing arrangements come under scrutiny:
• $50/night for a condo in Capitol Hill (1/3 comparables), co-owned by a lobbyist
• No charge for days it was vacant
• No extra charge for his daughter to live there
washingtonpost.com/news/energy-en…

.@EPAScottPruitt may not survive long in his job after reports that he paid below market rate to live in a condo owned by a lobbyist who deals with issues overseen by his agency #paytoplay reuters.com/article/us-usa…

When he's not gutting environmental protections, he's depleting the govrrnment coffers.

Aides to @EPAScottPruitt considered leasing a private jet on a month-to-month basis to accommodate his lavish travel habits #kleptocracy
washingtonpost.com/national/healt…

“Nothing says ‘the swamp’ like corporate lobbyists holding high-dollar fundraisers in a luxury Capitol Hill condo”

@EPAScottPruitt lobbyist-owned preferential-rate pad was a GOP fundraising hub thedailybeast.com/epa-administra…

Quid pro quo.

@EPAScottPruitt had an upscale (yet only $50-a-day, as needed) condo co-owned by an energy lobbyist's wife.

The lobbyist's client’s project got approved by the @EPA. #kleptocracy nyti.ms/2q0qFQl

.@EPAScottPruitt bypassed the White House to increase the salaries of 2 favorite aides by tens of thousands of dollars.

One of them managed Pruitt's housing search last year atter he left his $50/night on demand lobbying pad.

Taxpayers' money well spent. wapo.st/2IpctYx

At least 5 officials at the @EPA, 4 of them high-ranking, were sidelined after they raised concerns about @EPAScottPruitt's security demands and extravagant spending on office furniture and travel
nyti.ms/2EqMPk4

Pruitt placed one official on administrative leave w/o pay for opposing his requests for a bulletproof vehicle, 20-person protective detail & $100,000/month charter aircraft membership allowing Pruitt to take unlimited private jet trips for govt business

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.@EPAScottPruitt wanted to use his vehicle's sirens in DC traffic, but the lead agent in charge of his security detail told him they were only for emergencies.

Less than 2 weeks later, that agent was removed from Pruitt's detail and reassigned. cbsnews.com/news/scott-pru…

Bonus corruption: that agent's replacement runs a side business which has since received @EPA contracts.

"Draining the swamp." #maga

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The forgotten man, forgotten no longer.

"@EPAScottPruitt wanted to use the lights and sirens to expedite local trips in Washington to the airport or to dinner, including at least one trip to Le Diplomate, a trendy French restaurant that he frequented."

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The EPA's top Superfund official skipped a scheduled meeting with a contaminated West Virginia coal town because he had to stay in DC to help @EPAScottPruitt deal with his ever-expanding scandals thinkprogress.org/epa-superfund-…

.@EPAScottPruitt overstayed his invitation at his $50/night as-needed condo, failed to pay even that token rent and refused to leave, forcing his lobbyist landlords to push him out and change the locks
politi.co/2GH8JRI

"@EPAScottPruitt's ambitious domestic and international travel led to rapidly escalating costs, with the security detail racking up so much overtime that many hit annual salary caps of $160,000.

Total security costs approached $3 million" #kleptocracy apnews.com/amp/e2fdc3fe88…

Pruitt claims he has to fly 1st-class for his safety.

Yet on trips home for Sooners games, when taxpayers weren't paying for his ticket, Pruitt flew coach.

And a nationwide search of state & federal court records finds no case of anyone arrested or charged with threatening him.

CFPB (illegitimate) acting director @MickMulvaneyOMB gives big raises, even as he criticizes spending: 5 of the political appointees he hired make more than members of Congress, cabinet secretaries, and nearly all federal judges apart from SCOTUS
nyti.ms/2GEtO3u

Think how much damage these hacks could do if they were even marginally competent.

In His Haste to Roll Back Environmental Rules, E.P.A. Chief Scott Pruitt Risks His Agenda
nyti.ms/2Es5NGQ

"Pruitt made his case for the CAFE rollback in a 38-page document devoid of the kind of supporting legal, scientific and technical data that courts have shown they expect to see.

Half the document consists of quotations from automakers laying out their objections to the rule"

Interior Department officials deleted every mention of humans’ role in causing climate change in drafts of a scientific report on sea level rise and storm surge (h/t @metaquest) #climatechange
revealnews.org/article/wipeou…

In 2011, Pruitt bought a property days before a court ruled it had been fraudulently transferred by a developer who owed $3.6million on it.

He flipped the property for a $70,000 profit 4 months later to a dummy corporation set up by a major campaign donor salon.com/2018/04/05/exc…

Internal email contradicts EPA Secretary #ScottPruitt's claim that he “didn’t know” about big salary hikes, including one of almost $57,000, given to 2 favored aides #pr theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

.@EPA removed a staffer who approved an internal report finding no credible direct threats against @EPAScottPruitt, undermining his claims he needed 24/7 bodyguards and other expensive security protection #Pruitt
politi.co/2qmhIkv

"The memo used to justify @EPAScottPruitt's large security detail and first-class travel was created by #Pruitt's protective security detail, led by Nino Perrotta."

The same Perrotta who steered EPA security contracts to his business partner. #kleptocracy
nyti.ms/2GMORkm

.@EPAScottPruitt's proposed redesign for the EPA’s keepsake “challenge coin”: make it bigger, delete the EPA logo, add a Bible verse to reflect his faith, the Great Seal of the US and #Pruitt’s name around the rim in large letters
nyti.ms/2GUayiI

#Pruitt insisted on staying in luxury hotels that were costlier than allowed by government standards, while also pushing to fly on an airline not on the government’s approved list so he could accrue more frequent flier miles #kleptocracy
nyti.ms/2GS8kA4

During his $120,000+ trip to Italy, #Pruitt "refused to stay at hotels recommended by the US Embassy, choosing instead to stay at more expensive hotels with fewer standard security resources, while bringing along his own security team at taxpayer expense"

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Secure, soundproof phone booth in his office, sweeping for listening devices, 24/7 security, bulletproof desk, 3 'secret' email addresses to handle official business ... what the hell is #Pruitt hiding? (h/t @michgirlindc)
time.com/5238440/scott-…

House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy is expanding his probe into the ethical and spending abuses by EPA Admimistrator #Pruitt after his staff met for several hours with a former EPA aide turned whistleblower
politi.co/2quFlZ9

GAO: #Pruitt's $43,000 phone booth broke government spending laws

"Federal employees who violate the law are subject to suspension from duty without pay or removal from office, as well as fines and imprisonment"

He won't even lose his job in this regime. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

.@EPAScottPruitt upgraded his official car last year to a more expensive, larger, customized SUV with bullet-resistant seat covers.

"#Pruitt remarked that he wanted the larger car because it was similar to ones in which some other Cabinet officials rode" washingtonpost.com/news/energy-en…

Drowning in the swamp.

Trump's trade representative Robert Lighthizer spent almost $1 million on new furniture. Naturally, he blames Obama. #kleptocracy nyp.st/2EUVQlo

Environmental Protection Agency chief #Pruitt spent $45,000 in taxpayers' money to fly 2 aides and 3 security agents to Australia to prepare for a planned trip that was later canceled reuters.com/article/us-usa…

There are now 10 federal investigations into #Pruitt's misuse of funds & ethics violations.

The latest: EPA inspector general will investigate @EPAScottPruitt's use of EPA security detail for personal trips to the Rose Bowl, Disneyland & basketball games
nyti.ms/2JXysrs

Lobbyist Steven Hart, whose wife rented a prime condo to @EPAScottPruitt at a sweet $50/night, lobbied the EPA despite #Pruitt's denials and has since resigned from his firm (h/t @metaquest) #kleptocracy politi.co/2qNRpDY

"Scott #Pruitt's condo lease originally had [lobbyist] J. Steven Hart's name printed on it as the landlord, but someone crossed it out and wrote in the name of his wife" 🤔

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EPA chief Scott #Pruitt met personally last year with J. Steven Hart, the lobbyist whose wife had rented him a $50-a-night Capitol Hill condo, a disclosure that contradicts earlier statements that Hart had not lobbied the EPA (h/t @DerekCressman)
nyti.ms/2K4y2zf

"Showplace" homes, lobbyists and a shell company: #Pruitt's corrupt dealings in Oklahoma foreshadowed his ethical lapses as EPA chief nyti.ms/2vz6Q8z

In 2003, Pruitt bought a lavish house from a SBC lobbyist at a $100,000 discount, using a shell company registered to his business partner, Kenneth Wagner. SBC picked up the shortfall.

Albert Kelly's SpiritBank provided the mortgage. Wagner and Kelly now hold top jobs at the EPA

The next year, state senator Pruitt bought a $605,000 home. As OK attorney general, he paid $1.18 million for a house with five fireplaces.

From 2011 to 2017, #Pruitt’s office awarded $600,000+ in contracts to Wagner’s law firm, 6 times what it received in the preceding 4 years

Dec 2017 article on #Pruitt's benefactor Albert Kelly, who helped Pruitt with his purchases of upscale homes, extravagant renovations and even a minor league baseball team before his expulsion from the banking industry.

He now runs the Superfund program.

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#Pruitt gave top EPA jobs to former business partners who helped him buy a discounted Oklahoma home from lobbyist through a shell company (he also left the purchase off his financial disclosures, along w/the sale of the home 2 years later at a $95K profit)
hill.cm/0HSr24S

An rundown of the (at least) 10 federal investigations into Scott #Pruitt corruption and abuse of power (h/t @SaysHummingbird via @DerekCressman) news.vice.com/en_us/article/…

Samantha Dravis, #Pruitt's top policy adviser at the EPA, sought to retroactively change her resignation date one day after the House Oversight committee requested to interview her as part of its investigation (h/t @thepoliticalcat) cnn.com/2018/04/20/pol…

Another #Pruitt gift to the fossil fuel industry.

@EPAScottPruitt has proposed a new rule that restricts scientific research that can be used by the EPA for its regulatory decisions
n.pr/2KeBp74

Literal pay to play.

@MickMulvaneyOMB to 1300 banking lobbyists and executives: “We had a hierarchy in my office in Congress. If you’re a lobbyist who never gave us money, I didn’t talk to you. If you’re a lobbyist who gave us money, I might talk to you.”
nyti.ms/2FelZMe

Zero accountability for special interests.

“I don’t see anything in here that says I have to run a Yelp for financial services": @MickMulvaneyOMB wants to shut off public access to the bureau’s online database of consumer complaints against banks

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.@RepChrisCollins has sponsored several bills that would have benefited a drug company in which he is the lead shareholder, and is also trying to make changes to a govt program that would save the company millions of dollars if its drug is approved by FDA
thebea.st/2JTv152?source…

Someone has to pay for welfare queen #Hannity's HUD loans & Carson's furniture.

Housing & Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson will propose tripling the amount the poorest households are expected to pay for rent, affecting more than 4.5 million families washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2…

While @SecretaryCarson triples the rent on poor people, Eric and Don Jr travel the globe to promote their private interests at your expense.

Trump sons' trip to Dubai to attend the wedding of a business partner cost taxpayers at least $73,000 #kleptocracy cbsnews.com/news/trump-son…

Party of Personal Responsibility™.

Internal @EPA documents reveals @EPAScottPruitt's strategy for defending his gross misconduct that has spawned no less than 10 federal investigations: blame his staff
nyti.ms/2Kd1dQY

That explains all those sweet EPA contracts for Perrotta's company.

#Pruitt's security chief Nino Perrotta worked for National Enquirer publisher AMI during 2016 election, conducting private investigations at direction of its pro-Trump owner David Pecker
cbsnews.com/news/epa-secur…

Nino Perrotta gave a contract to do an electronic sweep of #Pruitt’s office to his business partner, even though Perrotta was told National Security Council is responsible for that task.

And the sweep failed to meet basic security standards @kurtbardella huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-…

The unannounced, unexplained resignation of the BIA Director comes 2 weeks after the Interior Dept inspector general questioned the reassignment of dozens of senior agency staff last year, nearly 1/3 of whom were Native Americans (h/t @waltshaub) huffingtonpost.com/entry/bureau-i…

"In March 2017, Hannity took out a $1.5mil ARM. The same day, he took out a $1mil VR revolving credit line on the house. Both were through Quicken Loans.

Also that day, ownership of the house was transferred from the LLC to Hannity in a quit-claim for $1"
cnbc.com/id/105137815

You may remember Icahn as the Trump advisor who dumped his steel-related stock just before tariffs were announced.

#EPA grants financial hardship waiver to billionaire Carl Icahn's oil refinery, exempting it from requirements under a federal biofuels law reuters.com/article/us-usa…

"After he raised concerns, Chmielewski was told to surrender his parking pass. After he refused, Nino Perrotta called him multiple times threatening to come to his house & physically take his pass"

#EPA whistleblower: #Pruitt "bold-faced lied" to Congress
abcnews.go.com/Politics/exclu…

.@EPAScottPruitt's head of security Nino Perrotta, who signed off on #Pruitt's extravagant travel & security arrangements (including contracts to Perrotta's business partner), resigns one day before he is to testify before House Oversight
(ht @aliasvaughn)
abcn.ws/2FtEtIR

Lobbyist helped arrange Scott #Pruitt’s $100,000 December trip to Morocco

In April, that lobbyist won a $40,000/month contract – retroactive to Jan 1 – with the Moroccan govt to promote its interests, & registered as a foreign agent representing that govt
wapo.st/2rdUgGu

Draining the swamp.

2 top aides to Scott #Pruitt quit the #EPA unexpectedly amid widening scrutiny of their roles at the agency: chief of security Nino Perrotta and Superfund advisor/disgraced banker Albert Kelly #kleptocracy
nyti.ms/2HHgeNa

Former lobbyist for foreign governments (including Ferdinand Marcos, together with Paul Manafort) helped provide a pretext to justify #Pruitt's trip to Australia, then took steps to disguise his role #kleptocracy
nyti.ms/2FzwhH2

J. Steven Hart, the lobbyist whose wife rented a prime condo to Scott #Pruitt at $50/night on demand, sought EPA committee posts for a lobbying client, according to a newly released #EPA memo (h/t @DerekCressman) apnews.com/de9f5c13944647…

Liz Bowman, one of several political appointees from the American Chemistry Council (Dow, Monsanto, BASF), becomes the 3rd top EPA official to leave the agency amid intensifying scrutiny of #Pruitt’s travel, spending and condo rental bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

As OK state senator, #Pruitt bought a home with a lobbyist pushing for changes to the state’s workers’ compensation rules — changes Pruitt championed in the legislature.

And as w/ the DC condo, Pruitt never publicly disclosed their financial relationship

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"After taking office, #Pruitt drew up a list of at least a dozen countries he hoped to visit and urged aides to help him find official reasons to travel.

He then enlisted well-connected lobbyists, GOP donors and activists to help make the trips happen"
wapo.st/2HPHj0Z

In a regime teeming with grifters and con men, starting at the top, no one epitomizes the Champagne Cabinet (h/t @waltshaub) ethos more than Scott Pruitt.

Truly breathtaking corruption, in its scale and audacity.

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Only a matter of time before Oklahoma opens an inquiry into #Pruitt's corrupt dealings as state senator & AG.

@EPAScottPruitt, already the subject of 11 federal investigations, reimbursed himself nearly $65,000 from his 2 campaigns for OK attorney general cnn.com/2018/05/03/pol…

Rather than rein in @EPAScottPruitt's brazen corruption, the @EPA is trying to suppress reporting on it.

Top aides to Scott #Pruitt are screening FOIA public records requests regarding his activities — at times beyond what the law allows #kleptocracy
politi.co/2roqPBM

.@SecretaryZinke tore up Obama-era rules on oil, gas and mineral extraction & oversaw protected land reductions.

But in Montana, he has halted the sale of oil and gas leases, opposed gold mining & sought to protect one national monument and create another
nytimes.com/2018/04/16/us/…

You're paying for his future campaign.

“#Zinke has promised to commit “whatever it takes” to rebuilding a cherished century-old backcountry chalet near his hometown of Whitefish, a potentially expensive proposition that is sure to earn him points at home"

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In 12+ interviews since her nomination, Transportation @SecElaineChao has appeared with her shipping magnate father, who has given Chao at least $5 million in the past 10 years, with the @USDOT logo prominently displayed (h/t @waltshaub) #kleptocracy politi.co/2rqeqxi

Pruitt’s former deputy CoS for operations: "The security aspect is smoke and mirrors. He didn’t want anybody to question anything"

A new cache of 10,073 pages of emails reveal EPA's aggressive efforts to keep #Pruitt's activities hidden from the public nytimes.com/2018/05/07/cli…

"Our plan will be to promote the feel-good activity and news from the event. Comments that are positive will be liked and possibly shared. Comments that are derogatory and/or abusive will be hidden from public view. Commenter receives no notification this hiding has happened”

EPA’s IG investigated 3 threats against #Pruitt, closing all 3 cases due to lack of serious threat.

One of the "threats" consisted of someone drawing a mustache on Pruitt’s face on the cover of Newsweek & taping it inside of an elevator at an EPA building buzzfeed.com/zahrahirji/sco…

And they call liberals snowflakes. This is why @EPAScottPruitt needed Kevlar car seat covers and a bulletproof desk?

No wonder why Trump won't fire @EPAScottPruitt: he's putting money in his pocket.

"On at least 4 occasions, #Pruitt planned meetings with energy company representatives at the Trump International Hotel"
nbcnews.to/2rtTh5k

"Official events comprised only a small portion of his $120,000 Italy trip, which included a 5-star restaurant:

La Terrazza offers a tasting menu for €280 per person ($334). Pruitt's dining partners included his chief of staff and senior counsel"

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Rough week for @hughhewitt's already dubious credibility.

1) The stunningly corrupt @EPAScottPruitt fast-tracked a California Superfund cleanup after Hugh Hewitt brokered a meeting between his law firm's client and #Pruitt politi.co/2KI4JTq

2) "Salem CEO Atsinger emailed "a case for supporting the GOP nominee because we have to beat Hillary" to Hewitt.

After Atsinger's message, Hewitt began to modify his position & wrote an article for WaPo about why he found it necessary to vote for Trump" money.cnn.com/2018/05/09/med…

Beyond Hewitt, whom we all knew to be a hack, this story reveals the extent to which right-wing media outlets like @SalemMediaGrp, @WeAreSinclair & @RedState have become fronts for Trumpism & are no longer "conservative" in any meaningful sense of the word money.cnn.com/2018/05/09/med…

More details on #Pruitt's Italy trip: among his dinner guests at a 5-star restaurant was climate change denier Cardinal Pell, even though EPA staff knew he was under investigation for child sex abuse.

Pell's name was left off schedules released under FOIA

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Top political appointees at the #EPA feared that the meeting with Cardinal Pell would reflect poorly on Scott #Pruitt if it were made public.

20 days after the dinner at La Terrazza, authorities in Australia charged Cardinal Pell with child sexual assault
nyti.ms/2I9N2Pg

EPA Inspector General: Scott #Pruitt sought unprecedented 24/7 security from his first day at the agency, casting doubt on his claim that his exorbitant ($3 million and counting) security detail was justified by threats against him
politi.co/2IjievD

#Pruitt’s aides sought to block publication of a federal study on a nationwide water-contamination crisis, after a Trump regime official warned the findings would cause a ‘public relations nightmare'
politi.co/2KV5zMZ

#EPA inspector general announces investigation into Scott #Pruitt's emails thehill.com/homenews/admin…

May 14: #Pruitt and #EPA block publication of a federal health study on a nationwide water contamination crisis

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Today: @EPA bars AP, CNN and environmental news organization E&E from a national summit on harmful water contaminants apnews.com/amp/d799f4e096…

Officials at the #EPA barred reporters from 3 news organizations, grabbing one by the shoulders and shoving her out of the building, after they had sought to cover a #Pruitt summit on water contamination at the @EPA’s HQ
washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/styl…

First #Pruitt's @EPA blocks a report on the water-contamination crisis.

When the public found out, Pruitt announced a summit on the issue - but bars AP and CNN & imposes a partial media blackout.

Now they're barring ALL reporters. What are they hiding?
politi.co/2s6gGtF

Newly released emails show senior #EPA officials working closely with climate change-denying Heartland Institute to plant shills at public hearings on science and global warming, counter negative news coverage and praise #Pruitt's leadership
apnews.com/amp/64cd37b050…

And when @EPAScottPruitt's not pursuing his anti-science, anti-evidence agenda, he's grifting.

EPA’s #Pruitt spent $1,560 on 12 customized silver fountain pens + another $1,670 for personalized journals from a fine jewelry store
washingtonpost.com/news/energy-en…