The news comes amid nearly a dozen inquiries by ethics watchdogs, federal auditors and congressional committees into Pruitt's actions at the helm of the federal government's environmental regulator. The seats belong to Joseph Craft, a billionaire coal baron who leads Alliance Resource Partners -- the seventh largest coal mining company in the United States. According to emails obtained by the Times, Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin planned to be with Pruitt's group, and the EPA's security detail and Kentucky state police were to accompany them. An EPA spokesman told the Times that Pruitt paid Craft $130 in cash for each ticket.

Source: CNN June 03, 2018 14:26 UTC