Scott Pruitt 'invited oil executives to work' at Environmental Protection Agency

A new report says the EPA made a 'plea' to oil and gas executives to fill vacant positions inside the federal agency

Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt spent more than $4m on his security detail and has spurred numerous other controversies during his tenure as the head of the federal agency. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scott Pruitt attempted to recruit executives from a major oil group called the American Petroleum Institute in order to fill vacant positions in his department, according to internal emails.

Mr Pruitt’s recruiting plea appeared to arrive less than one week after he attended the American Petroleum Institute’s executive committee and board of director’s dinner, which was held at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC.

Kevin Avery, manager of federal government affairs at the oil company ConocoPhillips, reached out to the EPA in an email after the dinner, writing “I understand that Administrator Pruitt met with the API executives last week and he made a plea for candidates to fill some of the regional director positions within the agency.”

Mr Avery later provided two potential hires to the EPA, though neither has reportedly joined the agency, according to the report by BuzzFeed News.

Among over a dozen scandals Mr Pruitt has faced during his tenure in Donald Trump’s White House administration include a lobbyist who charged the EPA chief just $50 a night to stay at his luxury Capitol Hill apartment

Mr Pruitt faces more than 12 federal ethics investigations over his alleged lavish spending on travel and security details, as well as his treatment of federal employees at the agency he oversees.

Meanwhile, numerous longtime EPA employees have resigned under Mr Pruitt, along with several senior counsels to the head of the agency.