Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt worked with a known lobbyist to help set up meetings with the Moroccan government during his trip there last December.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Richard Smotkin, who registered retroactively last month to represent the government of Morocco, is an old friend of Pruitt and apparently accompanied him to meetings and social events during Pruitt’s four-day work trip to the country.
The trip, which was criticized by lawmakers as well as the EPA’s inspector general, cost over $100,000 which is more than double the previously reported amount.
The EPA confirmed that Smotkin was the one who arranged Pruitt’s initial meeting in Washington with Morocco’s ambassador to the U.S., which then led to the invitation for the EPA chief to visit the country.
The post also reported that while in Morocco for the trip, Smotkin went with Pruitt to meetings, including a visit to a green energy research facility and a dinner on Pruitt’s final night.
However, the EPA said in a statement that “Smotkin did not attend or participate in any official meetings with the Moroccan government.”
“Mr. Smotkin assisted in arranging the October 25 meeting [with the Moroccan ambassador], but EPA’s Office of International and Tribal Affairs organized and led the effort around Administrator Pruitt’s official meetings with the Moroccan government,” an EPA spokesman said.
“Cooperation with Morocco was identified as an Agency priority since the Environmental Work Plan was up for renegotiation,” he added.
According to the Post, Smotkin was also involved with planning a trip to Morocco even before the official invitation.
The EPA stated that Pruitt had been invited to a conference, the Atlantic Dialogues, which he was not able to attend.
“Administrator Pruitt received an invitation to speak at the Atlantic Dialogues in Marrakech and EPA was evaluating whether to attend. At the October meeting, the Moroccan Ambassador to the U.S. invited Administrator Pruitt to come to Morocco to discuss the Environmental Work Plan,” the EPA spokesman said.
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