For all the dismantling of environmental regulations that the EPA is up to, one of the biggest stories to come from Scott Pruitt’s tenure there thus far has been that he’s the alleged GOAT of corruption. In a new article from the New York Times, they detail the lengths to which EPA aides were asked to go “to help in personal matters and obtain special favors for [Pruitt’s] family.”

The article contains many examples of why Donald Trump’s promise to drain the swamp has been turned on its ear. But one of the revelations from the Times article comes at the intersection of politics and prestigious law schools that’s really Above the Law’s niche:

Pruitt himself wanted to help his daughter get into UVA's elite law school. He placed a call to the former GOP speaker of the Virginia House, a UVA law school graduate, and ask him to weigh in with the UVA dean. His daughter got in. — Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) June 15, 2018

That’s right. We knew that McKenna Pruitt was a 1L at UVA Law, but the fact that her father used his contacts to ensure her admission to the T14 law school is just wild. Hell, Pruitt’s meeting with William Howell, the former speaker that wrote the recommendation letter for McKenna, appears on Pruitt’s official EPA calendar. It’s not surprising that powerful people use whatever means available to get what they want, but when you’re a public figure embroiled in scandal after scandal you’d think you’d be a little more discreet.

Now, perhaps McKenna Pruitt has the grades and scores to get into UVA Law all on her own (not that she’ll ever really know). That’s certainly the line Howell is pushing:

Mary M. Wood, a spokeswoman for the university, declined to comment on the letter, which has not been previously reported, citing student privacy. Mr. Howell said he doubted his letter tipped the scales for Ms. Pruitt. A spokesman for Mr. Pruitt said that he and Mr. Howell had known each other for two decades and that “letters of recommendation are normal process for an application to law school.”

UPDATE: According to an update from the New York Times, Howell’s recommendation letter was written before Pruitt took over at the EPA. The school has also released a statement that the younger Pruitt was admitted according to the school’s usual admissions procedures… which would theoretically include seriously evaluating a letter from the former speaker.

But it seems that’s not the only part of McKenna’s resume that was fluffed by her father’s political connections:

Separately, at least three E.P.A. staff members were dispatched to help Ms. Pruitt obtain a summer internship at the White House, the current and former staff members said. Kevin Chmielewski, who was Mr. Pruitt’s deputy chief of staff for operations until February, recalled a conversation last year when Mr. Pruitt instructed him and other top aides to “see what you can do” about getting the internship, a highly competitive and prized post in Washington. Ms. Pruitt was selected as an intern last summer. “We were constantly fielding requests like this, even though this had nothing to do with running the E.P.A.,” Mr. Chmielewski, one of the four political aides, said in an interview.

Three government employees were tasked with getting one highly connected woman an internship? The real irony here is the same people who will defend Pruitt’s actions and hire his daughter after Daddy makes a call will probably, in the next breath, talk about how affirmative action is unfair.

At least with the blind grading in law schools, whatever grades McKenna receives — good, bad or indifferent — she’ll get all on her own.

Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).