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Scott Pruitt.
- EPA administrator Scott Pruitt reportedly ate at the White House mess hall so often the entire Cabinet was told not to treat it as "their personal dining hall," Politico reported.
- Politico obtained a billing statement from July 2017 that showed Pruitt ate at the White House mess at least nine times that month and racked up a $400 bill, which is relatively cheap by DC standards.
- Pruitt has been at the center of a number of scandals during his tenure as EPA administrator and has garnered a reputation for exploiting his position for personal benefit.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt reportedly ate at the White House mess hall so often the entire Cabinet was told not to treat it as "their personal dining hall," Politico reports.
The White House mess is a US Navy-run restaurant open only to White House officials, Cabinet members and other dignitaries. Pruitt apparently dined there so frequently that the White House Cabinet affairs team told agency chiefs of staff during a meeting last year that Cabinet members should consider eating elsewhere sometimes.
According to a source close to Pruitt, the message being sent at the meeting was abundantly clear: "We love having Mr. Pruitt, but it's not meant for everyday use."
Politico obtained a billing statement from July 2017 that showed Pruitt ate at the White House mess at least nine times that month, racking up a $400 bill. This is relatively cheap compared to prices at high-end restaurants in the Washington DC area, Politico noted, and the food is top quality.
Additional documents showed Pruitt attempted to bring friends from Oklahoma to the White House mess at times.
Pruitt has been at the center of a number of scandals in his tenure as EPA administrator and has garnered a reputation for exploiting his position for personal benefit. For example, he allegedly enlisted government staffers to help his wife get a job managing a franchise of fast-food chain Chick-fil-A.
Amid the negative headlines swirling around Pruitt, two of his closest aides resigned this week. Both of the aides had reportedly received significant pay raises through a legal loophole after the White House refused to sign off on them.