EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said he would fly coach "on my very next flight." | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo Pruitt says he will start flying coach

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt will start flying coach instead of first class at least part of the time, he told CBS News' Major Garrett Wednesday.

Pruitt had been flying first or business class consistently because his security detail was alarmed by hostile encounters while traveling, as POLITICO reported last month.


But the pricey flights have attracted significant criticism and scrutiny, including a request for information from Rep. Trey Gowdy, the South Carolina Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee. During one stretch of travel in early June, Pruitt and his staffers spent $90,000, The Washington Post reported.

EPA initially claimed Pruitt had a "blanket waiver" to fly first class, an arrangement that would appear to violate federal law. Staffers later said that Pruitt cites security concerns when asking for approval for the more expensive tickets for each trip.

Pruitt on Wednesday said he has instructed his security detail "to accommodate those security threats in alternate ways, including—up to and including, flying coach going forward," according to an excerpt of the interview released last night.

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Pruitt said he would fly coach "on my very next flight." It's not clear what other "alternative" security measures are available while flying coach. The full Pruitt interview will be released on "The Takeout" podcast on Friday.

