Ex-EPA aides: Old queries had priority

Three former aides to Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt confirmed to congressional investigators that the EPA delayed producing emails and other government documents sought by members of the public through open-records requests by choosing to first respond to old petitions made during the Barack Obama administration. The "first in, first out" tactic for requests made through the Freedom of Information Act is seen as yet another example of the EPA restricting what records make their way into the public eye since Pruitt has taken office.

Pruitt aide resigns after she describes personal errands

Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt laughed off questions about whether he used his office to try to help his wife get a "business opportunity" with Chick-fil-A, while a close aide abruptly resigned amid new ethics allegations against her boss. Pruitt said in a statement Wednesday that his scheduling director, Millan Hupp, 26, had resigned.

EPA head laughs off Chick-fil-A questions; senior aide quits

Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt laughed off questions Wednesday about whether he used his office to try to help his wife get a "business opportunity" with Chick-fil-A, while a close aide abruptly resigned amid new ethics allegations against her boss. Pruitt said in a statement that his scheduling director, Millan Hupp, 26, had resigned.

Scott Pruitt asked his government aide to help with wife’s bid

'He was a scumbag': Arizona 'serial killer' slammed the Jon-Benet Ramsey psychiatrist for helping his ex-wife's divorce case against him and criticized the criminal justice system in bizarre YouTube rants Dark side of life on a superyacht: It's the dream of countless young people to see the world working on the boats of the rich but the reality can be slave conditions and even mysterious deaths for which no one is held responsible Scott Pruitt used his government aide to ask the boss of Chick-Fil-A to meet his wife because she wanted to run a franchise location EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt sought to buy a used version of a mattress that retails for a $1,399 for a Queen size and $1,750 for king-sized version She told investigators she also booked personal flights for Pruitt and searched for a D.C. apartment for him, at times during government hours Pruitt is under investigation for ... (more)

Aide: EPA’s Pruitt sought used Trump-hotel mattress Source: AP

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Aide: EPA’s Pruitt sought used Trump hotel mattress

In this file photo, Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, left, and President Donald Trump are shown in the Rose Garden of the White House on June 1, 2017, when Trump announced the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris climate pact. less In this file photo, Scott Pruitt, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, left, and President Donald Trump are shown in the Rose Garden of the White House on June 1, 2017, when Trump announced the ... more In this Nov. 14, 2017 file photo, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., questions Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Trey Gowdy’s Job Is Important. Why Isn’t He Doing It?

If you follow the activities of Rep. Trey Gowdy , you could be forgiven for having no idea that he oversees the chief investigative arm of the legislative branch. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which Gowdy chairs, is designed to be a watchdog for the American people.

White House denies probe into loans to Kushner company

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, right, accompanied by White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah, left, arrives to speak to the media during the daily press briefing at the White House, Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in Washington. Sanders discussed the removal of Russian diplomats, the opiate crisis, and other topics.

Democrats press White House for results of Kushner inquiry Source: AP

Two House Democrats pressed the White House counsel's office Tuesday to provide results from a newly revealed internal inquiry into more than $500 million in loans made last year by two companies to Trump administration senior adviser Jared Kushner's family firm. The loans coincided with Kushner's meetings with executives of those companies.

Longtime AIDS researcher Robert Redfield picked to lead CDC

This undated photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine in March 2018 shows Dr. Robert Redfield Jr. On Wednesday, March 21, 2018, Redfield was named the new director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government's top public health agency. This undated photo provided by the University of Maryland School of Medicine in March 2018 shows Dr. Robert Redfield Jr. On Wednesday, March 21, 2018, Redfield was named the new director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government's top public health agency.

PHOTO: Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Jan. 12, 2017.

Top House Democrats are accusing the White House and State Department of forcing out administration officials not considered sufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump 's agenda. Add Midterm Elections as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Midterm Elections news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

IG: Interior unprepared for cyber threats

The Department of Interior is vulnerable to the theft of sensitive data, unprepared to detect and deal with cyber threats and failing to keep users on its computer network from visiting - downloading materials from - illicit websites, according to a new watchdog report. During testing at a U.S. Geological Survey facility as part of a department-wide audit , Interior's inspector general, working with independent accounting firm KPMG, identified a "workstation attempting to communicate with IP addresses of known malware command and control website in Russia."

White House ignores congressional inquiry on security clearance procedures

The White House is ignoring a bipartisan congressional inquiry regarding documents about the Rob Porter scandal, prompting the House Oversight Committee's top Democrat to request that the White House be subpoenaed over the matter. The committee's investigation into White House security clearances began after Porter, a former staff secretary, resigned amid domestic abuse allegations, which he denies.

Embattled company plagiarized bid for Puerto Rico hot meal contract, senators say

The company that failed to deliver nearly all of the hot meals it promised to Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria plagiarized the bid that won it the $156 million contract from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to a letter penned by three senators this week. Democratic Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Gary Peters of Michigan say that Tribute Contracting LLC - which lost its contract in October after just 20 days because it had delivered only 50,000 of the 30 million meals promised - lifted paragraphs from two other companies related to logistics and delivery.

FEMA contractor says she is a “scapegoat” in controversy over canceled contract

The woman at the heart of a controversy surrounding a cancelled $156 million contract to provide 30 million meals for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico says she is being turned into a scapegoat for problems with how FEMA handles contracts with small businesses. House Democrats have asked for the Oversight Committee to subpoena FEMA officials to explain why the contract was issued to a small company called Tribute Contracting, LLC run by Atlanta-based business owner Tiffany Brown - the sole employee listed for that business.

Congressional Democrats seek data about Bank of America’s free checking phase-out

Concerned about Bank of America's phase-out of a program that provided free checking, two Democratic members of Congress on Friday sought information about the banking giant's action. File photo taken in 2014 shows the corporate sign in front of a Bank of America branch office in Oakland, California.