July 02, 2018 10:15 AM UTC

Quid Pro Quo? Anschutz, Inc. Standing Up For Scott Pruitt

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• by: Colorado Pols

The New York Times’ Eric Lipton has been keenly observant of what appears to be a questionable relationship between Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and Colorado billionaire Phil Anschutz–Anschutz being, in addition to the owner of the Coachella Music Festival and a bevy of entertainment properties a major investor in polluting industries that Pruitt directly presides over:

One related note here. Washington Examiner, which published this piece, is owned by Phil Anschutz, Denver billionaire who Scott Pruitt had a secret meeting with last year, during a taxpayer-funded trip to Colorado. Anschutz is also a big donor to GOP candidates running for Senate

— Eric Lipton (@EricLiptonNYT) July 2, 2018

It is an interesting chain of events to say the least: after an undisclosed meeting with Anschutz, ostensibly for “campaign purposes” so as not to require the normal disclosure of the EPA Administrator’s official-capacity meetings, you have Anschutz’s flagship Washington, D.C. media outlet running cover for Pruitt! If that doesn’t make you wonder what Anschutz and Pruitt talked about in their undisclosed meeting, it should. Pruitt’s defenders have boiled down to the most factually impervious voices (see the hot take in the Examiner for a fine example). You have to really want to do it.

One thing’s for sure: you won’t read about any of this in the Colorado Springs Gazette.