Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt requested a 24/7 security detail when he was confirmed as administrator, according to a publicly released letter from an internal watchdog to members of Congress.
According to the internal watchdog’s letter, the division that oversees security and criminal investigations made the decision “after being informed that Mr. Pruitt requested 24/7 protection once he was confirmed as Administrator. The OIG played no role in this decision.”
Pruitt and the agency have previously said that his upgraded security was recommended in response to an increased number of threats against him.
The agency’s inspector general, an independent watchdog office that investigates threats against EPA employees, said in letters to two Democratic senators Monday that the EPA began providing Pruitt with a 24/7 detail on his first day as the administrator. The EPA has repeatedly said that Pruitt received more security protection when compared to previous administrators in response to “unprecedented threats” against him.
“As the report says, EPA’s Office of Inspector General does not determine security assessments. EPA’s Protective Service Detail handles security decisions and this particular decision was made before Administrator Pruitt arrived at EPA,” EPA spokesman, Jahan Wilcox told ABC News in a statement.
Pruitt was sworn in as EPA administrator on February 17, 2017. The EPA’s internal investigative office has completed investigations into 14 threats directed at Pruitt and his family, three of which are dated before he was sworn in. The reports, provided to ABC News through a Freedom of Information Act request, show that most of the incidents were not seen as an immediate threat.
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