Purchase of a soundproof booth for EPA chief violates federal law that prohibits spending more than $5,000 on office improvements

An internal government watchdog says the Environmental Protection Agency violated federal spending laws when purchasing a $43,000 soundproof privacy booth for administrator Scott Pruitt to make private phone calls in his office.

The Government Accountability Office issued its findings on Monday in a letter to Senate Democrats who had requested a review of Pruitt’s spending.

Thomas Armstrong, the general counsel of the GAO, determined that EPA’s purchase of the booth violated federal law prohibiting agencies from spending more than $5,000 to make improvements to the offices of presidential appointees without informing Congress. Because EPA used federal money in a manner specifically prohibited by law, Armstrong said the agency also violated the Antideficiency Act, and is legally obligated to report that violation to Congress.

An EPA spokeswoman, Liz Bowman, said the agency is “addressing GAO’s concern, with regard to congressional notification about this expense, and will be sending Congress the necessary information this week”.

The EPA has said previously that Pruitt needed the privacy booth to make secure phone calls with Donald Trump and others without fear of eavesdropping. It is among several unusual security precautions taken by Pruitt that are now under scrutiny, like his frequent use of first-class flights to avoid unpleasant interactions with other travelers.

The Associated Press first reported in December that the EPA also spent about $9,000 for an outside contractor to sweep Pruitt’s office for secret listening devices and installed biometric locks.

Tom Udall, the Democratic senator of New Mexico, who requested the GAO review, said the finding was yet another example of the embattled EPA administrator flouting federal spending rules.

“An illegal privacy booth to conduct secret discussions with his polluter friends does nothing to help our health or environment,” Udall said on Monday. “Scott Pruitt is behaving like swamp emperor rather than EPA administrator – he has shown a shocking lack of regard for public health and safety, ethics and fairness. He has been a disaster, and it’s past time for him to go.”