Pruitt faced mounting financial pressures as EPA chief, new documents show

[DonViejo]

By Juliet Eilperin, Brady Dennis and Joshua Dawsey

September 12 at 3:13 PM

Scott Pruitt, the embattled former Environmental Protection Agency chief, faced mounting financial pressures as he sought to balance his personal obligations in Oklahoma with his new role as a member of President Trump’s Cabinet in Washington, new documents show.

Pruitt, who made $189,600 a year as EPA administrator, incurred between $115,000 and $300,000 in legal fees last year, according to financial disclosure forms released Wednesday. He sold off tens of thousands in investments during that same period.

The documents highlight the financial pressures facing the former administrator, who enlisted the help of staff to help his wife find work and to perform personal tasks for him.

The form does not specify what the legal work was for: as Pruitt’s spending and management practices came under increasing scrutiny starting last fall he eventually hired private attorneys to represent him and established a legal-defense fund.

Pruitt’s other debts in 2017 included a balance of $10,000-$15,000 on his Chase credit card and the mortgage of his $1.2 million home in Tulsa.

more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/pruitt-faced-mounting-financial-pressures-as-epa-chief-new-documents-show/2018/09/12/ced32a28-b476-11e8-a7b5-adaaa5b2a57f_story.html

[VMA131Marine]

1. His mortgage payment for the principal and interest alone must have been close to $5k/month

$4,700/month for a $1,000,000 mortgage for 30 years at 3.92% = $56,400/yr
$4,200/month for a $1,000,000 mortgage for 30 years at 2.92% = $50,400/yr

Property tax rates in OK are pretty low, but he is still probably paying $10k/yr
Then add another $2-5k for homeowners insurance.

[NCjack]

2. He couldn't afford to be a Republican. Too much house. nt

[gratuitous]

3. Gee, I wonder if these financial obligations influenced any actions he took at EPA?

Probably not. I mean, where's the money to be made in protecting the environment? Fish, birds, trees, and rocks don't have any money.