Records: EPA chief jets away for weekends on taxpayer's dime

Records show the head of the Environmental Protection Agency of the US spent weekends in his home state during his first three months in office, frequently flying to and from Oklahoma at taxpayer's expense.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's expenses from March through May were released following a Freedom of Information request filed by Environmental Integrity Project, a non-profit watchdog group.

The records show Pruitt traveled home 10 times, typically leaving Washington on Fridays and returning on Mondays. Pruitt was either in Oklahoma or on trips that included stops there for nearly half of the days included in the three-month period, costing about USD 15,000.

The records indicate Pruitt attended speaking engagements or "informational meetings" during the trips, which were first reported by The New York Times.

EPA did not respond to requests for comment.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)