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At the University of Kentucky, Mr. Pruitt attended one of the biggest games of the season last December, sitting in seats belonging to Mr. Craft. (Photo: Michael Huang/with overlay)
Scott Pruitt, Courtside Seats, Corruption, and--Oh, Yeah--the Destruction of the Planet
"True, our planet is being wrecked by climate change, but at least Scott Pruitt got good seats to a basketball game."
Jun 02, 2018
Trump's EPA chief Scott Pruitt is once more facing accusations of bald-faced corruption and ethics violations after the New York Times reported that he and his son enjoyed a courtside experience at a high-profile college basketball game last year--sitting in the VIP seats of a billionaire coal company executive Joseph W. Craft III who was actively lobbying the Trump administration to loosen restrictions on the industry.
"Because his seat was so close to the court, he was visible during the telecast," the Times reports. "A video clip on Twitter and Instagram showed Mr. Pruitt and his college-age son, Cade, standing in the players' entrance as the team walked to the court."
As CREW noted, there's no record Pruitt paid for the tickets, though a spokesperson for agency claims Pruitt paid $130 for each. "An email from the E.P.A. ethics office approving in advance the purchase of the tickets said that payment would be made by check, but since it was a cash transaction, there is no receipt." As the Times further notes:
Pruitt's attendance at the game, the details of which have not been previously reported, followed a year of regulatory victories for Mr. Craft, who maintains close ties to Mr. Pruitt even as he has lobbied the E.P.A. on issues important to his company, Alliance Resource Partners. And unlike other executives with whom Mr. Pruitt is known to have close ties -- like the oilman Harold Hamm or the coal mogul Robert E. Murray -- Mr. Craft has stayed relatively under the radar.
Even as the specific instances of possible ethics violations by Pruitt and the resulting federal inquiries into his alleged improprieties have become almost too numerous to count, environmental activists have been aggressive in demanding his ouster but also consistent in noting that it is Pruitt and Trump's aggressive pro-fossil fuel and corporate-friendly agenda--especially in the era of a runaway climate crisis--which remains the duo's largest shared criminal endeavor.
"While many of the varied scandals plaguing poor Scott Pruitt are intertwined with his comfy relationship with fossil fuel special interests," wrote journalist Justin Anderson in a column last week, "that should only make it easier for media outlets to connect the profit-seeking motives of extractive industries with the complicity of the federal government in willful ignorance on climate change."
Responding to the Times article on Saturday, 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben simply stated:
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Trump's EPA chief Scott Pruitt is once more facing accusations of bald-faced corruption and ethics violations after the New York Times reported that he and his son enjoyed a courtside experience at a high-profile college basketball game last year--sitting in the VIP seats of a billionaire coal company executive Joseph W. Craft III who was actively lobbying the Trump administration to loosen restrictions on the industry.
"Because his seat was so close to the court, he was visible during the telecast," the Times reports. "A video clip on Twitter and Instagram showed Mr. Pruitt and his college-age son, Cade, standing in the players' entrance as the team walked to the court."
As CREW noted, there's no record Pruitt paid for the tickets, though a spokesperson for agency claims Pruitt paid $130 for each. "An email from the E.P.A. ethics office approving in advance the purchase of the tickets said that payment would be made by check, but since it was a cash transaction, there is no receipt." As the Times further notes:
Pruitt's attendance at the game, the details of which have not been previously reported, followed a year of regulatory victories for Mr. Craft, who maintains close ties to Mr. Pruitt even as he has lobbied the E.P.A. on issues important to his company, Alliance Resource Partners. And unlike other executives with whom Mr. Pruitt is known to have close ties -- like the oilman Harold Hamm or the coal mogul Robert E. Murray -- Mr. Craft has stayed relatively under the radar.
Even as the specific instances of possible ethics violations by Pruitt and the resulting federal inquiries into his alleged improprieties have become almost too numerous to count, environmental activists have been aggressive in demanding his ouster but also consistent in noting that it is Pruitt and Trump's aggressive pro-fossil fuel and corporate-friendly agenda--especially in the era of a runaway climate crisis--which remains the duo's largest shared criminal endeavor.
"While many of the varied scandals plaguing poor Scott Pruitt are intertwined with his comfy relationship with fossil fuel special interests," wrote journalist Justin Anderson in a column last week, "that should only make it easier for media outlets to connect the profit-seeking motives of extractive industries with the complicity of the federal government in willful ignorance on climate change."
Responding to the Times article on Saturday, 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben simply stated:
Trump's EPA chief Scott Pruitt is once more facing accusations of bald-faced corruption and ethics violations after the New York Times reported that he and his son enjoyed a courtside experience at a high-profile college basketball game last year--sitting in the VIP seats of a billionaire coal company executive Joseph W. Craft III who was actively lobbying the Trump administration to loosen restrictions on the industry.
"Because his seat was so close to the court, he was visible during the telecast," the Times reports. "A video clip on Twitter and Instagram showed Mr. Pruitt and his college-age son, Cade, standing in the players' entrance as the team walked to the court."
As CREW noted, there's no record Pruitt paid for the tickets, though a spokesperson for agency claims Pruitt paid $130 for each. "An email from the E.P.A. ethics office approving in advance the purchase of the tickets said that payment would be made by check, but since it was a cash transaction, there is no receipt." As the Times further notes:
Pruitt's attendance at the game, the details of which have not been previously reported, followed a year of regulatory victories for Mr. Craft, who maintains close ties to Mr. Pruitt even as he has lobbied the E.P.A. on issues important to his company, Alliance Resource Partners. And unlike other executives with whom Mr. Pruitt is known to have close ties -- like the oilman Harold Hamm or the coal mogul Robert E. Murray -- Mr. Craft has stayed relatively under the radar.
Even as the specific instances of possible ethics violations by Pruitt and the resulting federal inquiries into his alleged improprieties have become almost too numerous to count, environmental activists have been aggressive in demanding his ouster but also consistent in noting that it is Pruitt and Trump's aggressive pro-fossil fuel and corporate-friendly agenda--especially in the era of a runaway climate crisis--which remains the duo's largest shared criminal endeavor.
"While many of the varied scandals plaguing poor Scott Pruitt are intertwined with his comfy relationship with fossil fuel special interests," wrote journalist Justin Anderson in a column last week, "that should only make it easier for media outlets to connect the profit-seeking motives of extractive industries with the complicity of the federal government in willful ignorance on climate change."
Responding to the Times article on Saturday, 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben simply stated:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.