EPA staffers say Pruitt sent them on errands to get snack food: report

Multiple staffers at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claimed that Administrator Scott Pruitt has sent them on errands to get snack food, according to The Daily Beast.

“I can’t tell you how many times I was sent out to get protein bars on the orders of [Pruitt],” one person told the publication.

{mosads}Sources described the errands and demands from Pruitt as “constant” or frequent, according to the outlet. 

A former EPA official told the outlet that Pruitt prefers food from the high-end grocery store Dean & Deluca and that his favorite snacks include Greek yogurt as well as cookies and other sweets. 

The agency told the outlet that the “EPA will not be commenting on anonymous sources who are working to distract Americans from Administrator Pruitt’s accomplishments on regulatory certainty and environmental stewardship.” 

The Hill has reached out to the agency for further comment. 

The report comes as numerous reports on Pruitt’s spending habits have distracted from the agency’s work. 

Reports surfaced this week that Pruitt tried to use his influence to help his wife get a job for the Chick-fil-A franchise and that he had an aide do personal tasks such as trying to buy a used mattress from the Trump International Hotel.

Two aids close to the administrator also announced their resignations this week. 

Despite the controversies, President Trump publicly expressed confidence in Pruitt on Wednesday, saying the agency is “doing really, really well.”

“Thank you Scott, very much. EPA is doing really, really well,” Trump told Pruitt while praising Cabinet officials during a meeting at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“Somebody has to say that about you a little bit, you know that, Scott,” he added.