Pruitt Under Fire by Six Liberal Democratic US Senators—–But are They Hypocrites asks One Organization?

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Six Democrats on the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chaired by Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe are going after Attorney General Scott Pruitt for his role in leading a nonprofit group that received money from an arm of the Koch brothers’ network. But they are also being called hypocrites from at least one group that’s defending Pruitt.

The six wrote to Pruitt this week asking for the names of donors, meeting information, internal emails and other details related to Pruitt’s director status of the nonprofit called the Rule of Law Defense Fund, according to Politico.

The Defense Fund was formed as an offshoot of the Republican Attorneys General Association and is organized under a section of the tax code that allows it to keep donors secret.

In their letter, the Senators called Pruitt’s work with the Defense Fund is a “troubling” sign that he’s too close to the fossil-fuel companies he would regulate as chief of Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Administration.

The six are Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Ben Cardin of Maryland and Bernie Sanders, the Independent from Vermont who caucuses with the Democrats.

A spokesman for the Defense Fund said, “It is unfortunate that certain Democrat Senators appear willing to trample First Amendment rights in order to score cheap political points.”

Meanwhile, the conservative group America Rising Squared blasted the Democrats calling their letter and attack on Pruitt hypocrisy.

“This is a partisan fishing expedition by six liberal Democrats who combined have taken more than $1.2 million from far-left environmentalist groups dead-set against any reforms to an out-of-control EPA,” said Brian Rogers, Executive Director of America Rising Squared.

Rogers noted that Sens. Sheldon White and Ed Markey were among those who signed a report drafted in recent days by the far-left group EarthJustice which accused critics of the EPA of being ni the thrall of the fossil fuel industry.

Another organization, OpenSecrets reported five of the six Democratic Senators received money from NextGen Climate Action, League of Conservation Voters, The Sierra Club, National Resources Defense council and others.

Senator Booker received nearly $125,000. Senator Cardin got about $54,000 while Senator Markey received nearly $411,000. Nearly $241,000 went to Senator Merkley while Senator Whitehouse received $179,000.