Lobbyist tied to condo met with EPA chief, despite denials

WASHINGTON (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt met in his office last year with a veteran Washington lobbyist tied to the bargain-priced condo where Pruitt was living.

Both Pruitt and lobbyist Steven Hart had previously denied Hart had conducted any recent business with EPA.

A spokesman for Hart confirmed Saturday that the lobbyist met with Pruitt at EPA headquarters in July 2017 to discuss efforts to preserve the Chesapeake Bay.

The admission came after Washington lobbying firm Williams & Jensen filed a new disclosure report late Friday saying that Hart had lobbied EPA in 2018 on behalf of the world’s largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods.

Media reports first disclosed last month that Pruitt rented a Capitol Hill condo from a corporation co-owned by Hart’s wife for just $50 a night.