(CNN) Evangelical leader Tony Perkins defended Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt on Friday against a growing list of ethics controversies, saying he does not believe "there's anything there."

"The President has been very clear that these things are problematic as you look at them on their face," Perkins told CNN's Erin Burnett.

Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, argued that the controversies and allegations should be put in context. He cited security concerns to defend Pruitt in one of the controversies.

"I've spoken to a number of these Cabinet secretaries who are being threatened and harassed when they get on planes and they're flying in coach," he said. "He's getting eight times the number of threats his predecessor got."

Pruitt defended his first-class travel in February by saying it was for security purposes, citing the "toxic environment" in politics and implying he was less likely to face threats in a first-class crowd.

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