General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy Does The EPA Chief Have an 18 Person Security Detail?
By JOSH MARSHALL Published SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 2:49 PM
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt now has an 18 person, 24/7 security detail. The effort has become so elaborate that the EPA has now had to take agents off actual EPA criminal investigations to focus on protecting Pruitt.
This is offensive and ridiculous.
We had a member of Congress almost murdered a couple of months ago in what was clearly an ideologically motivated attack. People are also very upset about the Trump administrations atrocious environmental policies. Pruitt is arguably the face of that. There are also very rare but real instances of violence committed by environmental extremists. So I dont dispute the need for some security. But absent some very clear evidence of a specific, credible and on-going threat, this big of a security effort can only be explained by an attempt to create the impression of a threat for political reasons or the desire to avoid ever coming into contact with peaceful protestors, something weve seen throughout the Trump administration.
The Department of Education is paying the US Marshals service $1 million a month to provide extensive security to Secretary Betsy Devos a move that appears to stem from an aggressive protestor yelling at her earlier this year. According to The Washington Post, the Marshals Service is hiring nearly two dozen people to guard DeVos. In other words, it sounds comparable to Pruitts detail, though we dont know specifics about whether its around the clock protection or just how many people guard her at any one time.
According to the Post, before DeVos, the last cabinet secretary to be protected by the Marshals Service was the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, commonly known as the drug czar (The drug czar no longer has cabinet rank). Federal judges and law enforcement officials facing direct and specific threats to their lives generally make due with far less security.
more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/why-does-the-epa-chief-have-an-18-person-security-detail
dalton99a
(81,091 posts)Fatemah2774
(245 posts)You can never be too careful.
DemoTex
(25,371 posts)Check six, Scotty .. always check six.
CanonRay
(14,038 posts)when Bill Bennett had the job. It was usually two or maybe three of us, and it was just extra duty on top of our normal duties. We got overtime if things went late, but otherwise it cost almost nothing. Trump's got all these rich jerks in the cabinet jobs, and they all want the royal treatment.
Persondem
(1,936 posts)L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)Those people could be doing their real jobs, securing the environment if their was didn't need protection to destroy it.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)These RWNJ's know at heart they are doing evil, and are worried about what happens when the People wake up. Or at least they have nightmares about it.
Turbineguy
(37,213 posts)people lose focus on the real costs of having these idiots in charge.