Trump EPA pick leaves conservative law group

Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says he has left a conservative law group that has worked against Obama administration rules.

In a financial disclosure form filed this weekend with the Office of Government Ethics, Scott Pruitt said he left the Rule of Law Defense Fund in December after Trump picked him to lead the EPA. 

The Defense Fund, which was once affiliated with the Republican Attorneys General Association, has fought against Obama administration rules alongside their GOP counterparts in state attorneys general offices. Pruitt is the current attorney general of Oklahoma and had served as a chairman of the Defense Fund. 

{mosads}In December, Democrats sent a letter to Pruitt questioning his involvement in the group. They also asked for information about its donors and his role in fundraising and communications for the group. 

The Defense Fund received at least $175,000 from billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, a frequent foe of the Senate Democrats who will consider Pruitt’s nomination later this month.

In his financial disclosure, Pruitt also said he would leave the board of two religious organizations, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Windows Ministry Inc., if he is confirmed as EPA administrator. 

He listed an annual salary of $265,650 from his job as Oklahoma’s attorney general, and between $14,300 and $44,000 in annual investment income.