VIDEO Watch "Whistleblower: EPA's Pruitt kept secret calendar to hide meetings" on YouTube

Whistleblower: EPA's Pruitt kept secret calendar to hide meetings In a revealing report aired on CNN, an EPA whistleblower disclosed serious allegations regarding then-Administrator Scott Pruitt. The whistleblower claims that Pruitt systematically directed his staff to remove significant meetings from his official calendar, allegedly to conceal them from public scrutiny. This situation raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability within federal agencies. The former EPA official accused Pruitt of prioritizing secrecy over transparency, indicating that such actions are not only unethical but could also violate public trust. With Pruitt's leadership often critiqued for decisions impacting environmental regulations, this revelation adds another layer to the ongoing debate about his tenure and management style. While this video does not come with subtitles or a transcript, the implications of these claims are profound. It underscores the critical importance of transparency in government, particularly in agencies like the EPA tasked with protecting public health and the environment.

Discussion Points:​

• What are your thoughts on the importance of transparency in government?
• Do you believe that such actions by public officials warrant legal consequences?
• How do you think the narrative around environmental regulation might change with this information?

Feel free to join the conversation and share your insights or any related experiences!

John Berman opens this CNN Exclusive report with allegations that former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt instructed staff to scrub his official public calendar to hide controversial meetings. Reporter Drew Griffin outlines several documented examples, beginning around 01:45 with internal emails showing an April 2017 dinner with coal executive Joseph Craft at Trump Hotel that was omitted from public records. The piece goes on to detail a September 2017 meeting with former Senator Trent Lott and a shipping executive concerning liquefied natural gas fuel, followed at 03:00 by details of Pruitt's $120,000 trip to Rome where private tours and lunch with Cardinal George Pell were wiped from the public schedule once Pell faced legal charges. Whistleblower and former EPA deputy chief of staff Kevin Chmielewski explains on camera how internal schedules were systematically edited or replaced with generic entries like meeting with staff to obscure interactions with industry lobbyists.
It is a punchy and well-researched investigative segment that uses side-by-side document graphics effectively to prove its point. The contrast between what was recorded internally and what was released to the public is striking, and Chmielewski's perspective as a self-described Trump supporter calling out administrative misconduct adds real credibility to the report.