Gov't Accountability Office Says Pruitt's $43000 Phone Booth Was Illegal

US government watchdogs slam Trump Cabinet on spending

Rep. Trey Gowdy, who is now investigating Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, had some harsh words for Pruitt's controversial travel habits.

A 2017 spending bill capped at $5,000 expenditures to "furnish, redecorate, purchase furniture for, or make improvements for the office of a presidential appointee".

"We draw no conclusions regarding whether the installation of the privacy booth was the only, or the best, way for EPA to provide a secure telephone line for the administrator", GAO said.

"EPA is addressing GAO's concern, with regard to Congressional notification about this expense, and will be sending Congress the necessary information this week", Liz Bowman, an EPA spokeswoman, said in a statement to HuffPost.

EPA representatives said they were cooperating with the request.

Spark for education is now free for students and teachers

Gowdy's letter was sent one day after lawmakers heard details from the EPA's former deputy chief of staff for operations, Kevin Chmielewski, who said those who questioned Pruitt's unethical behavior were retaliated against.

But on Monday Barrasso said in a statement after the GAO's decision that Pruitt's agency must give a "full public accounting" on the spending on the booth and explain why the agency thinks it was complying with the law. The privacy booth is among several unusual security precautions taken by Pruitt that are now under scrutiny.

The former Oklahoma Attorney General has been slammed for allegedly giving aides raises after the White House told him not to, for renting a bedroom in a Capitol Hill apartment owned by the wife of a top energy lobbyist, and for spending more than $100,000 on luxury air travel.

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), who is overseeing an investigation into Pruitt as chairman of the House Oversight Committee, skewered the administrator on Sunday over his claim that he booked first-class flights to avoid verbal attacks from fellow passengers in the coach section.

Speaking of 2016: Administrator Pruitt would appear to be exactly the kind of person Trump campaigned on ridding Washington of.

Related News:

16 April 2018

Mariah Carey facing lawsuit from ex-manager
Carey signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation in November 2017 - it was around this time that she was said to have let go of Stopler. While there is no cure for bipolar II disorder , it can be treated with a combination of therapy and medication.

16 April 2018

SpaceX to launch NASA spacecraft to look for alien planets
Sixty days after the launch and following tests of its instruments, the satellite will begin its initial two-year mission. Air Force 45th Space Wing continue to predict an 80 percent chance of favorable weather for liftoff.

16 April 2018

Qualcomm INC (QCOM) Holding Increased by Hbk Investments LP
The stock of QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM ) earned "Hold" rating by Stifel Nicolaus on Wednesday, November 29. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,794 shares in the company, valued at $497,652.46.
16 April 2018

Kanye returns to Twitter, shares emotional memory with Khloe's ex
He made his first public appearance alongside West at his February 2016 Yeezy Season fashion show release party in NY . Meanwhile, Odom wasn't the only estranged Kardashian family member to get a shout-out on West's Twitter account.

IOS 11.4 Beta 2 Now Available for Testing
With Messages in iCloud, users can see all of the conversations synced between iOS devices and their Mac using iCloud. The first beta of iOS 11.4 brought back Messages in iCloud which was removed from the public release of iOS 11.3.

16 April 2018

Salman Khan aka Sultan performs a flawless backflip, video goes viral
This will be the director's third outing with Salman , with whom he has worked with in Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai . Mumbai: Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar shared an incredible video of Salman Khan on his Twitter account.
16 April 2018

Kenya Electoral Body in Turmoil After 3 Commissioners Resign
Pressure is piling on Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairman Wafula Chebukati to leave office. Chebukati said he had learned of the resignations through the media, and would comment later.

As Moscow's Partner, China Aims to 'Cause Trouble for US'
The dollar dipped to 104.90 yen as investors shifted into the Japanese currency, which is viewed as a "safe haven" from risk. China's retaliatory duties on more than 100 United States imports, including pork, fruit and wine, kicked in soon after.

16 April 2018

Syria strikes' aim met, more possible if red line crossed
Mr Macron said both French and U.S. positions were in line, and the main aim in Syria was the "war against ISIS (Islamic State)". The Western states have accused forces of Assad of an attack with the use of chemical weapons in Duma.
16 April 2018

Rooney appears to be over his spat with Allardyce
Like there's no problem with Yannick Bolasie and there's no problem with Tom Davies there's no problem with Wayne Rooney. Think he said he had a really good game of golf this week! "All three of those I substituted last week".

16 April 2018

Goldman Sachs Says Emerging Markets Now Look Like Rich Countries
The company's P/E (price to earnings) ratio is 12.82 and Forward P/E ratio of 10.66. (NYSE:GS) to report earnings on April, 17. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CPL .

16 April 2018

Syria strikes could mean 15-cent rise in gas prices, analysts say
If you've pulled up to a gas station in the last week, you've probably noticed that fuel costs are going up. That also means the average American household can expect to spend $200 more for gas overall in 2018.