"For much of his first year in Washington, President Trump’s EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt occupied prime real estate in a townhouse near the U.S. Capitol that is co-owned by the wife of a top energy lobbyist, property records from 2017 show.
Neither the EPA nor the lobbyist, J. Steven Hart, would say how much Pruitt paid to live at the prime Capitol Hill address, though Hart said he believed it to be the market rate. The price tag on Pruitt’s rental arrangement is one key question when determining if it constitutes an improper gift, ethics experts told ABC News.
“I think it certainly creates a perception problem, especially if Mr. Hart is seeking to influence the agency,” said Bryson Morgan, the former investigative counsel at the U.S. House of Representatives Office of Congressional Ethics. “That’s why there is a gift rule.”"
John Santucci, Matthew Mosk, and Stephanie Ebbs report for ABC News March 29, 2018, with Katherine Faulders and Ali Dukakis.
SEE ALSO:
"Democrats Want Details Of Pruitt’s DC Condo Tied To Lobbyist 'Power Couple'" (ABC News)
"EPA’s Pruitt Lived in DC Condo Connected To Energy Lobbyist" (AP)
"Report: EPA’s Scott Pruitt Lived In Condo Linked to Energy Lobbyist" (HuffPost)
"The Conservative Coddling of Scott Pruitt" (New Republic)
"Scott Pruitt Rented A Condo Co-Owned By Wife Of Energy Lobbyist: Report" (Washington Examiner)
