Trump's chronically late EPA chief pressured his security detail to speed and turn on sirens to cut through traffic, report finds

• Ex-EPA head Scott Pruitt pressured his security detail to speed and use sirens, report finds.
• Agents in Pruitt's detail said Pruitt asked them to speed to make up for his chronic lateness.

Ex-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who served under former President Donald Trump, pressured his personal security detail to speed, use sirens, and drive dangerously to make up for his chronic lateness to events, according to a 2018 internal report obtained by The New York Times.

The heavily redacted report, compiled by the EPA's Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics, and Training (OCEFT) and dated June 2018, describes how the agents in Pruitt's detail frequently felt compelled by Pruitt to speed and turn on sirens that were only supposed to be used in emergency situations.

A special agent said "Administrator Pruitt was historically late" and his personal security detail (PSD), "tries to curtail that with earlier departures."

A special agent "recalled one instance" in which Pruitt "was late for a flight" and asked his drivers for a "magic button" to get through the traffic.

"The Administrator implied using lights and siren to get to the airport more quickly. SA recalled Administrator Pruitt saying, 'can you guys use that magic button to get us through traffic?'"

In another instance described in the report, an agent "recalled a specific instance" in which "the Administrator was 35 minutes late to his staff meeting and directed that he be taken to pick up his dry cleaning prior to going to the office."

The special agent "described using lights and sirens, driving contra-flow against oncoming traffic and said [redacted] believed it was reckless."

Pruitt's deputy chief of staff also spoke about a Department of the Interior event with President Donald Trump "wherein extreme speed and lights and sirens were utilized."

A person whose title was redacted "said the most recent occurrence was local while returning from the White House to EPA which is approximately four blocks" and "described the use of lights and sirens as "''overly obnoxious, excessive, and more dangerous to everyone,'" according to the report, adding that their opinion, "none of the circumstances witnessed of the use of lights and sirens was an emergency."

The report also detailed how special agents felt Pruitt retaliated against them for not speeding or turning on lights.

"The Administrator told SA that he was running late and mentioned the use of lights to speed up the trip. [Special Agent in Charge] told SA to stay in park and proceeded to explain to the Administrator that the use of lights and sirens was only for emergency situations and it would be against OCEFT policy to use them to expedite because he was late.'"

"The Administrator was visibly upset and was silent for an uncomfortable time in the car. The trip was uneventful but SA said the Administrator was upset and a few days later, SAC was removed from position," the report continued.

Pruitt eventually resigned his post in July 2018 after a slew of ethics scandals and official investigations into his misuse of government resources. He's now running for US Senate in Oklahoma to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe.

Pruitt was accused of spending excessive amounts of taxpayer money on travel, with the new report also investigating whether the special agent in charge of Pruitt's detail "misrepresented perceived threats to the Administrator to falsely justify the use of higher-cost premium class travel."

The special agent "described the documentation of negative interactions with the citizenry wherein people approach the Administrator and cast aspersions on him" to justify first-class flights.

Pruitt was also accused of enlisting his taxpayer-funded government staff to carry out a variety of personal errands unrelated to agency business.

Those included helping him procure a new apartment, a used Trump Tower mattress, discounted Rose Bowl tickets at the 50 yard-line, and special Ritz-Carlton brand lotion.

Pruitt further reportedly leveraged the powers of his office to help secure a prestigious internship at the White House for his daughter and a job managing a Chick-Fil-A franchise for his wife Marilyn, defending himself by saying that Tulsa needed more Chick-Fil-As.