EPA chief ducks GOP fund-raiser after ethics complaint

EPA administrator Scott Pruitt decided not to attend a GOP fund-raiser in his home state of Oklahoma in light of an ethics complaint filed against him. Pruitt was billed as the keynote speaker—which would be a violation of federal law that bars government officials from publicly engaging in political activities. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, calling Pruitt’s involvement in the event “pay-to-play” and a violation of the Hatch Act.