Embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt had demanded and received around-the-clock armed security protection since his first day on the job, the agency’s inspector general disclosed in a letter Monday to congressional lawmakers.

The details: Inspector General Arthur Elkins, responding to an inquiry about Pruitt’s security, said the EPA head initiated the protection plan himself. The watchdog, which is responsible for probing threats made against agency employees, added that it “played no role in this decision.”

Flashback: EPA officials and Pruitt have repeatedly said the administrator has been experiencing a number of threats in order to justify stepping up his security measures. But this new revelation apparently undermines that main argument. Pruitt, facing a variety of other inquiries, also blamed security concerns for his pricey travel choices.

Go deeper: Inside Scott Pruitt's "miserable" bunker.