CNN: Pruitt Apartment Search Help May Have Broken Ethics Rules, Experts Say
The free house-hunting help Scott Pruitt received from an Environmental Protection Agency aide may have been a violation of federal ethics rules, according to two government ethics experts.
Pruitt acknowledged Wednesday to a Senate committee that a political appointee in his office worked on his housing search, but said she was a "friend" working off the clock and was not paid for her assistance. He also said her work was unrelated to her large and controversial raise later approved by Pruitt's chief of staff.
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Pruitt's friend defense "rings hollow," said Walter Shaub, the former director of the Office of Government Ethics. He currently leads the ethics program at the Campaign Legal Center and, like Eisen, is a CNN contributor.
"If your boss asks you to house hunt for him on your free time, you're not really able to say no," Shaub added.