U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt was confronted at a Washington restaurant by a woman and her child, urging him to resign over what he’s “doing to the environment and to our country.”
Pruitt sat in silence Monday when Kristin Mink, holding her young son, confronted the EPA boss while he was having lunch with a colleague.
READ MORE: EPA boss Scott Pruitt had aide inquire about used mattress from Trump hotel, perform personal chores
“I just wanted to urge you to resign because of what you are doing to the environment and to our country,” Mink said. “This is my son. He loves animals. He loves clean air. He loves clean water. Meanwhile, you are slashing emissions standards for cars and trucks for the benefit of big corporations.
“You have been paying 50 bucks a night to stay in a D.C. condo connected to an energy lobbying firm, while approving our dirty sands,” the mother said.
Pruitt has been under scrutiny since media reports first revealed he had rented a luxury Capitol Hill condo tied to a prominent oil and gas lobbyist for just $50 a night. Pruitt’s daughter, then a White House summer intern, stayed in a second bedroom at the condo at no additional cost.
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Other disclosed examples of Pruitt seeking special treatment include his repeated use of first-class air travel, luxury hotel suites and directing his security staff to use lights and sirens to speed through Washington traffic to dinner reservations.
READ MORE: Donald Trump takes aim at ‘filthy’ Red Hen restaurant that refused to serve Sarah Sanders
“We deserve to have somebody at the EPA who actually does protect our environment, somebody who believes in climate change and takes it seriously, for the benefit of all of us including our children,” Mink said. “So I would urge you to resign before your scandals push you out.”
Pruitt is the latest member of the Trump administration to be confronted in a public setting.
Last month, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was refused service at a restaurant in Lexington, Va., because she works for U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left. Her actions say far more about her than about me,” Sanders said on Twitter. “I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so.”
WATCH: Police speak with activists after they confront Homeland Security Secretary at dinner in Washington
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was heckled by about a dozen protesters about the Trump administration’s immigration policy as she ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Washington.
The protesters entered MXDC Cocina Mexicana Tuesday and chanted “Shame!” and “End family separation!”
–with files from the Associated Press
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