Jun 15, 2018

PR exec helped Scott Pruitt acquire Rose Bowl tickets

Scott Pruitt testifying before the House Energy and Commerce committee. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt was given aid in acquiring tickets to the Rose Bowl in January from the chief of a public relations firm based in Oklahoma, according to a letter from Rep. Elijah Cummings.

Why it matters: This is another allegation of an ethical lapse for Pruitt in a saga that keeps building. Republican lawmakers are growing tired of Pruitt's scandalous allegations, including President Trump.

The details: Cummings wrote to Renzi Stone, head of communications firm Saxum, requesting information on Stone helping Pruitt acquire tickets to the game on New Year's Day.

  • Milan Hupp, Pruitts former director of scheduling, told House oversight staff members that Stone provided Pruitt's family with tickets, Cummings said in the letter.

The backdrop: Saxum represented Plains All American Pipeline, which is currently petitioning the EPA to discharge hydrostatic test water from a Texas pipeline, reports the Washington Post.

Plains All American Pipeline's association with Saxum ended in November 2017, a spokesman told Axios, and "was limited to Oklahoma-based public relations support for a pipeline construction project."

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