May 10, 2018

Scott Pruitt Broke Bread With a Climate-Skeptic Cardinal Accused of Sexual Abuse

When in Rome…

Chris Kleponis/ZUMA

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EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt dined at a five-star restaurant with Cardinal George Pell, a climate-change skeptic who faces child sexual abuse charges, during a visit to Rome in June 2017, documents obtained by the New York Times show.

According to the Times, EPA staff knew the Cardinal was under investigation at the time, and multiple EPA schedules from that day do not include the meeting with Pell. Pruitt’s chief of staff and Leonard Leo, executive vice president of the Federalist Society, were also at the dinner.

Cardinal Pell will soon stand trial for multiple counts of child sexual abuse. 

Here are the documents obtained by the Times:

Private Tour of Apostolic Palace Proposed with Cardinal Pell (p. 18)

View entire document on DocumentCloud

And here is a Twitter thread from the Times‘ Eric Lipton: 

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And this is the first time we’re asking you to support the new organization we’re building. In “Less Dreading, More Doing,” we lay it all out for you: why we merged, how we’re stronger together, why we’re optimistic about the work ahead, and why we need to raise the First $500,000 in online donations by June 22.

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A First $500,000 donation of $500, $50, or $5 would mean the world to us—a signal that you believe in the power of independent investigative reporting like we do. And whether you can pitch in or not, we have a free Strengthen Journalism sticker for you so you can help us spread the word and make the most of this huge moment.

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