"U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt used a unique hiring authority to bring on several political staffers, including top deputies in programs across the agency.

Documents obtained by E&E News under the Freedom of Information Act detail 'administratively determined' hires under the Safe Drinking Water Act, showing that at one point last year, at least 20 officials were brought on under the hiring provision.

Several deputy assistant administrators — top political officials for EPA programs — like Nancy Beck, Patrick Davis, Dennis Lee Forsgren and Richard Yamada were listed once as administratively determined hires. Other close advisers to Pruitt were also in that category, including several associates and former aides of his when Pruitt was Oklahoma attorney general like Lincoln Ferguson, Millan Hupp, Sarah Greenwalt and Kenneth Wagner, according to records."

Kevin Bogardus and Ariel Wittenberg report for Greenwire April 4, 2018. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Pruitt Says He Didn’t Know About Staffers’ Controversial Pay Raises" (The Hill) [3]

"EPA Chief Denies Knowing Who Raised Aides’ Pay in Heated Fox Interview" (Bloomberg) [4]