红杏视频

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. 鈥� Days before the Senate votes on Scott Pruitt鈥檚 nomination to head the Environmental Protection Agency, the 红杏视频 of Oklahoma and the law firm Hall Estill filed a lawsuit alleging that Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt by failing to provide public access to official emails and other documents for more than two years.

The suit, filed on behalf of the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), to prevent the Oklahoma attorney general from destroying any documents relevant to the group鈥檚 open records requests before his confirmation hearing.

Since 2015, CMD filed seven records requests with Pruitt鈥檚 office seeking communications with Koch Industries and other coal, oil, and gas corporations as well as the corporate-funded Republican Attorney General鈥檚 Association (RAGA). Pruitt has yet to turn over a single document, despite acknowledging in August 2016 that his office has 3,000 emails and other documents relevant to CMD鈥檚 first request in January 2015.

鈥淎ttorney General Pruitt had two years to respond to a lawful request for documents from his office. Instead of complying with the law, he has stonewalled public interest groups, the United States Senate, and the American people,鈥� said Ryan Kiesel, executive director of the 红杏视频 of Oklahoma. 鈥淧ruitt's refusal to turn over these documents is unreasonable and unjustifiable. The lawsuit we filed today serves notice that when it comes to accountability and transparency, no government official is above the law.鈥�

The Oklahoma Open Records Act states that 鈥渢he people are vested with the inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government . . . so they may efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power.鈥� The act also mandates that a public body 鈥渕ust provide prompt, reasonable access to its records.鈥�

鈥淔reedom of information is essential to ensure the integrity of our government,鈥� said Brady Henderson, legal director of the 红杏视频 of Oklahoma. 鈥淲hen public officials like Scott Pruitt fail to abide by Open Records Act requirements, it interferes with the people鈥檚 ability to do our job holding government accountable. With Pruitt seeking confirmation to become EPA administrator, these public records are essential for the U.S. Senate to do its job too. Public records belong in public view, not hidden for months or years behind closed doors.鈥�

For the past several years, CMD has led an investigation to pull back the curtain on Pruitt鈥檚, and other attorneys general鈥檚, relationships with fossil fuel industry titans, and the advocacy groups they fund.

鈥淪cott Pruitt has withheld access to thousands of emails with businesses or organizations whose activities adversely affect the environment and other records of vital public interest for the past two years,鈥� said , a leading media and First Amendment lawyer with the firm Hall Estill. 鈥淗is inaction denies the public 'prompt and reasonable' access to public documents and violates Oklahoma's Open Records Act.鈥�

The lawsuit comes on the heels of a difficult few weeks for Pruitt鈥檚 nomination in which research from CMD has demonstrated Pruitt鈥檚 repeated pattern of obfuscating ties to deep-pocketed corporate interests.

At his hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, Pruitt faced a series of questions about his private meetings with major fossil fuel companies while chair of and fundraising for the Rule of Law Defense Fund. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) concluded his questioning by telling Pruitt his testimony Despite failing to respond to any records requests for the past two years, Pruitt told senators last week to to answer 19 outstanding questions from his confirmation hearing.

鈥淧ublic servants at the EPA spend each day trying to counter corporations鈥� injection of dangerous chemicals into our air, water, and homes. Despite this, Pruitt refuses to discuss his deep connections to the companies he would oversee and has repeatedly shown contempt for the Senate鈥檚 responsibility to their constituents to properly vet his nomination,鈥� said Nick Surgey, CMD鈥檚 director of research. 鈥淔amilies in Michigan and Pennsylvania grappling with unsafe drinking water, communities from California to Florida dealing with damage to our climate, and parents looking for ways to clean up the air their kids breathe all deserve the facts behind whose interests Pruitt really serves.鈥�

After Democratic senators boycotted the EPW Committee vote due to concerns over Pruitt鈥檚 conflicts of interests and , Republicans resorted to suspending committee rules to advance his nomination. Pruitt is expected to face a full Senate vote next week.

Deep Ties to Fossil Fuel Industry

Over the past 15 years, Pruitt has received nearly $350,000 in campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry, including Continental Resources, whose CEO served as his 2014 campaign chairman. Pruitt has also raised substantial funds for his two federal PACs 鈥� Liberty 2.0 and Oklahoma Strong 鈥� from fracking giant Devon Energy and coal company Alliance Resources. In 2014, a New York Times鈥� investigation found that to send to the EPA and Department of the Interior under his own name.

Last year, Pruitt orchestrated an effort by Republican state attorneys general to oppose the confirmation of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. In March, boasting of his efforts to block Garland鈥檚 confirmation as well as to 鈥渟uccessfully [block] the President鈥檚 Clean Power plan, his immigration rule and his attempt at a massive takeover of the waters of the U.S.鈥�

A copy of the complaint filed today can be found here: