WASHINGTON, DC – Democratic senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy joined 28 other senators, Thursday, led by Massachusetts Senator Edward J. Markey in calling on Environmental Protection Agency Administrator nominee Scott Pruitt to recuse himself if confirmed from participating in any matter related to litigation that he pursued against the EPA as Oklahoma Attorney General.
In the letter, the senators specifically call on Pruitt to recuse himself from decisions on how the EPA will defend itself against the lawsuits he brought, for as long as those cases are active.
They also call on Pruitt to recuse himself from any actions the EPA may make as a result of court action on litigation from which he is recused, as well as recuse himself from directing the revision or elimination of any regulation regarding issues on which he has sued the EPA. During his testimony at his confirmation hearing and in follow-up questions for the record, Pruitt refused to recuse himself from any of these matters.