Another former Republican political consultant, Patrick Davis, who works at an EPA regional office in Colorado, received an exemption last year so that he could continue getting paid for his work as the sales director for Telephone Town Hall Meeting, which provides services like robocalls to political campaigns. He collects a salary of $161,000 at the EPA but also faces the same cap on income from his other gig.
Vox notes that political employees usually have to give up their outside jobs and get waivers only in “extraordinary circumstances”. Vox also notices that Davis’s anti-environment boss Scott Pruitt hasn’t been nearly as generous to actual scientists working for the EPA:
The EPA’s decision to grant these exemptions seems especially hypocritical given the rationale it used when it purged scientists from its advisory committees last year. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt reasoned that scientists who advise the agency shouldn’t also receive research funds from the agency. This logic rules out vast numbers of scientists who work at universities and regional environmental groups.
When he made the announcement last October, Pruitt invoked the Bible, saying that “the ‘Joshua Principle’ that as it relates to grants to this agency, you are going to have to choose either service on the committee to provide counsel to us in an independent fashion or you can choose grants, but you cannot do both” [Irfan, 2018.03.10].
Davis has finally been able to cash in on his political hucksterism. He better save up some money while it’s coming in because it won’t last forever. How long can it be before Davis gets his good friend Pat Powers some cushy do-nothing overpaid government job like the one he now has? Now that the precedent is set, Powers should also be able to keep his side job producing campaign materials.
Debbo
2018-03-14 20:49
Ohferpetessake. The name “Annette Bosworth” in SD is like “Michelle Bachmann” in MN; a reminder of a bad dream that just won’t stay entirely gone.
grudznick
2018-03-14 21:05
Ms. Debbo, I agree with you that Ms. Bosworth and Ms. Bachmann are both pretty young ladies, but Ms. Bachmann accomplished a lot more politically than our doctor lady here in South Dakota. I would say Ms. Bosworth is insaner than Ms. Bachmann on several levels.
Davis has finally been able to cash in on his political hucksterism. He better save up some money while it’s coming in because it won’t last forever. How long can it be before Davis gets his good friend Pat Powers some cushy do-nothing overpaid government job like the one he now has? Now that the precedent is set, Powers should also be able to keep his side job producing campaign materials.
Ohferpetessake. The name “Annette Bosworth” in SD is like “Michelle Bachmann” in MN; a reminder of a bad dream that just won’t stay entirely gone.
Ms. Debbo, I agree with you that Ms. Bosworth and Ms. Bachmann are both pretty young ladies, but Ms. Bachmann accomplished a lot more politically than our doctor lady here in South Dakota. I would say Ms. Bosworth is insaner than Ms. Bachmann on several levels.