Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt did not violate any laws when he appeared in a beef advertisement, according to a government watchdog group.
The Government Accountability Office released a report Wednesday that found Pruitt did not break any laws when the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association used footage from an interview he gave the organization while on a tour to discuss his proposals for the Waters of the United States rule. The NBCA used that interview as part of a call to action on its website and social media accounts.
"EPA’s use of its appropriations for the then-Administrator’s interview and appearance in an NCBA video did not violate the publicity or propaganda, grassroots lobbying, or Interior anti-lobbying provisions," reads the GAO report, according to The Hill. "Because the then-Administrator’s appearance in the video did not constitute a communication that was self-aggrandizing, purely partisan, or covert, EPA did not violate the publicity or propaganda prohibition."
Pruitt says in the video, "This is part of our state action tour, where we’ve gone out across the country, visiting with farmers and ranchers, stakeholders with respect to our redefining of what a Waters of the United States is under the Clean Water Act.”
The EPA argued that the agency had nothing to do with the creation of the video apart from the interview, and that it has no control over the ad’s marketing.
Pruitt resigned from the EPA in July.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.