A high-ranking EPA official, Region 8 Administrator James Martin, will resign after weeks of scrutiny over allegations that he used a personal email account to conduct “official business.” Martin was accused of using his private me.com account to confirm a meeting with the general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund. That would not appear a catastrophic event, but what truly interests me is the Senator who has been leading the charge: Louisiana Senator David Vitter. It was Vitter who used his official cellphone to arrange liaisons with prostitutes from the Senate floor. He first attacked reporters and witnesses as liars before reluctantly admitting the truth and claiming to have been forgiven for his sins. He then demanded to use campaign funds to pay for his legal fees. He was not only not charged but reelected to the Senate.
Vitter was quick to note that the resignation came after his demanding answers regarding the use of a private account for official business and noted that Martin had recently hired legal counsel. Presumably, unlike Vitter, Martin would have paid for such private counsel himself.
This is part of a larger email investigation that already claimed former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson who resigned in the middle of the investigation. There is clearly a violation of agency rules, but the GOP might have found a less problematic choice for the senator leading the charge.
Source: Senate Committee
