The Environmental Protection Agency’s Inspector General (EPAIG) is Investigating whether Chief of Staff, Ryan Jackson, was Involved in Destroying Internal Documents that should have been Retained.
The EPAIG's Office is asking Witnesses whether Jackson has Routinely Destroyed Politically Sensitive Documents, including Schedules and Letters from People like Lobbyist Richard Smotkin, who helped Arrange a Trip for then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to Morocco when he was in Office, according to one Sources, a Former Administration Official who told Investigators he has seen Jackson do that Firsthand.
The previously Unreported Allegations Add to the Controversy around Jackson, a Former Aide to Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) who has been at EPA since the Early Days of the Trump Administration. EPA's Internal Watchdog Accused Jackson earlier this week of Refusing to Cooperate with other Ongoing Investigations.
Jackson was put on Notice that the Document destruction was Improper, something the Former Official said he Discussed earlier this year with an Official from the EPAIG’s Office. “They would scold us on a daily basis and Ryan would say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know, we’ll do better next time,’" the former Official said.
Jackson said he was “unaware” of the EPAIG Investigating him for Destroying Documents.
Michael Abboud, an EPA Spokesperson, Disputed the Allegations, noting that a Previous Investigation had Not found Evidence of Illegal Document Destruction at the Agency. “Even the National Archives have publicly stated these claims are ‘unsubstantiated,'" Abboud said in a Statement.
The Interest in whether Jackson Destroyed Records may Indicate Renewed Interest in Allegations that Pruitt kept a "Secret Calendar" to Hide Controversial Meetings with Republican Donors or Industry Officials. In July 2018, CNN Reported that Pruitt Aides would Regularly "Scrub" his Calendar, but a Subsequent Investigation by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) ended in January and Found No Evidence of Wrongdoing.
However, since NARA concluded its Investigation, EPAIG has been Investigating the Allegations. A Second Source familiar with the Matter said that Investigators with EPAIG Questioned a Witness roughly Six months ago about Jackson's Alleged Role in Destroying Documents.
EPAIG Office has Launched Numerous Probes into Pruitt and Jackson, but it is Not clear which of those Inquiries involves Alleged Document Destruction.
Jackson is also Facing Allegations of Stonewalling the EPAIG. This week, Acting Inspector General Charles Sheehan Accused Jackson of Defying Investigators by Refusing to Fully Cooperate with Two Probes.
One instance Detailed by Sheehan involves an Attempt to find out How and Where Jackson Obtained the Testimony of Deborah Swackhamer, the Former Chairman of EPA’s Board of Scientific Counselors. She had Alleged that she felt “Bullied” by Jackson's Attempt to get her to Stick to Pro-Trump Administration Talking Points at a Congressional Hearing.
A Number of People Close to Jackson reached out Unprompted to say they had Never seen him Destroy Documents, but would only Speak on Condition of Anonymity. "Having worked with Ryan on a near daily basis, I never witnessed or heard of any of these allegations and it would be uncharacteristic of him to do," said a Trump Administration Official.
A Former Senior EPA Official also said: “Ryan Jackson has spent his entire career in public service, managing hundreds of staff over more than two decades. To suggest that Ryan Jackson is anything other than a professional and esteemed public servant who is committed to his staff and the Agency’s mission is pure slander."
"There’s nobody who’s more meticulous in his record keeping and in his notes and in his checklists," another Senior EPA Official said. "Everybody on day 1 had records training and to the extent that somebody deviated from that, that’s on them for themselves because they all signed that paperwork and they all had to certify that training."
Officials who are Found Guilty of “willfully and unlawfully” Violating the Federal Records Act and Unlawfully Destroying Federal Documents can be Fined and Face a Jail Sentence of Up to Three years. The EPAIG can’t Prosecute any Criminal Violations of the Law but can Refer Matters to the Justice Department. Destroying Documents with the Intent of Deceiving the Public, can be a Violation of the Federal Records Act. If you decide these Documents may be Embarrassing and you don't want the Public to see them and therefore you Destroy them, you could be Violating the Federal Records Act.
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