U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt told lawmakers who are angry about allegations of ethics and spending missteps during his tenure he had nothing to hide and added the accusations are meant to derail President Donald Trump's agenda.
Let me be very clear: I have nothing to hide as it relates to how I've run the agency for the past 16 months, Pruitt told a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Pruitt added, Those who attack the EPA and attack me are doing so because they want to attack and derail the president's agenda and undermine this administration's priorities. I'm simply not going to let that happen.
Legislators from both the Republican and Democratic parties lashed out at Pruitt. Democrat Frank Pallone told Pruitt, You should resign and you are undeserving of public trust.
Pruitt went before two House of Representatives subcommittees for hearings about the agency's budget, and lawmakers sought answers about his spending on first-class air travel, his security detail and a lease of a room in Washington.
