美国环境保护局局长斯科特·普鲁特（Scott Pruitt）就是不能回答是或否的问题。这是今天国会听证会的一个缩影，普鲁伊特在一长串道德丑闻中受到立法者的盘问。有一次，普鲁特甚至拒绝回答一个非常简单的问题：“你是环境保护局局长吗？”（在第三次被问到时，他最后以“是”回答。）...
美国环境保护局局长斯科特·普鲁特（Scott Pruitt）就是不能回答是或否的问题。这是今天国会听证会的一个缩影，普鲁伊特在一长串道德丑闻中受到立法者的盘问。有一次，普鲁特甚至拒绝回答一个非常简单的问题：“你是环境保护局局长吗？”（在第三次被问到时，他最后以“是”回答。）
这些听证会，一个在众议院能源和商业委员会，另一个在众议院拨款委员会，从技术上讲是为了讨论环保署2019年的拟议预算。但许多问题，特别是民主党议员提出的问题，都是围绕着几起损害普鲁特任期的丑闻。这些措施包括自上任以来花费300万美元用于安保，其中包括一次去迪斯尼乐园的私人旅行；用纳税人的钱坐头等舱旅行；还花了43000美元为他的办公室买了一个隔音亭(**问责局认定安装昂贵的展位违反了法律。）
在听证会上，共和党议员多次试图为普鲁伊特辩护，并将话题从道德缺失转向预算和政策。众议员格雷格·哈珀（R-MS）称这些指控是“政治****”，而众议员乔·巴顿（R-TX）则称普鲁伊特是“华盛顿政治的受害者”。但民主党议员坚持要求这位环保署署长为其挥霍的开支和困扰环保署的其他丑闻负责。大部分情况下，特别是在众议院能源和商业委员会的首次听证会上，普鲁特没有直接回答问题。
以下是普鲁伊特回避“是”或“否”问题的几个例子，这些问题本应该很容易回答：
- 本月早些时候，有消息披露，普鲁伊特在批准两名助手大幅加薪一事上撒了谎，尽管白宫反对这一要求，但这两名助手在他上任前就一直与他共事。众议员保罗·通科（D-NY）询问普鲁伊特是否授权EPA办公厅主任瑞安·杰克逊代表普鲁伊特签署文件，授权加薪。
Tonko: “Did you, administrator, authorize Mr. Jackson to sign those documents for you?
Pruitt: “Congres**an, those were delegated to Mr. Jackson.”
Tonko: “You did authorize him then, to sign them?”
Pruitt: “That decision was made by my staff…”
Tonko: “Yes or no? Did you authorize him?”
Pruitt: “There was delegation given in my authority.”
Tonko: “So that’s a yes?”
- 本月早些时候，《****》披露，至少有五名环保署官员发言反对普鲁特的浪费性支出或管理，因此受到了影响。在听证会上，新泽西州民主党众议员弗兰克·帕隆（Frank Pallone）向普鲁特询问了这一点。
Pallone: “It has been reported that at least five EPA employees were recently reassigned, demoted, or otherwise retaliated against after they raised concerned about your spending. Is that correct, yes or no?”
Pruitt: “I don’t ever recall a conversation to that end.”
Pallone: “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Pruitt: “You shouldn’t take it as a yes.”
- 2017年12月，普鲁伊特出现在众议院能源和商业委员会面前，为在其办公室安装价值43000美元的隔音电话亭辩护，尽管环保署办公室已经指定了可以拨打私人和敏感电话的区域。在今天的听证会上，众议员戴安娜·德盖特（D-CO）询问了普鲁伊特有关非法支出的问题。
DeGette: “You expressed your view that [the phone booth] was appropriate, correct? Yes or no?”
Pruitt: “I didn’t express that $43,000 was appropriate.”
DeGette: “You’re not gonna answer my question. Did you know at that time that this expenditure violated section 7-10 of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriati*** Act and the Antideficiency Act?”
Pruitt: “It’s actually...”
DeGette: “So, you’re not going to answer that question either. Do you know whether anyone of your staff knew that that expenditure violated these two laws? Yes or no?”
Pruitt: “The [Office of General Counsel] again has indicated that… their opinion is that it’s not a violation.”
DeGette: “So you’re not gonna answer that question.”
- 听证会快结束时，民主党众议员本·雷·卢詹（Ben Ray Luján）要求普鲁伊特为破坏环保局的几起事故负责。
Luján: “Today, you repeatedly blamed your chief of staff, your chief counsel, career officials, and others. Yes or no, are you the EPA administrator?”
Pruitt: “I said in my opening statement, Congres**an. And I didn’t blame anyone.”
Luján: “Mr. administrator, it’s just a simple yes-or-no question, sir. Are you the EPA administrator?”
Pruitt: “I said in my opening statement, that I take resp***ibility, I’ve made changes historically, I’m making changes going forward. And I’ve simply not failed to take resp***ibility, I’ve simply recited the fact of what’s occurring.”
Luján: “It’s a simple question, Mr. Pruitt. Are you the EPA administrator?”
Pruitt: “Yes.”
Luján: “Do you run the EPA?”
Pruitt: “I do.”
Luján: “Yes or no: Are you resp***ible for the many many scandals plaguing the EPA?”
Pruitt: “I’ve responded to many of those questi*** today, with facts and information.”
Luján: “Are you able to answer in yes or no?”
Pruitt: “That’s not a yes-or-no answer, Congres**an.”
Luján: “It’s pretty simple that it’s a yes-or-no answer.”
- 加州民主党众议员安娜·埃肖（Anna Eshoo）也对普鲁特的过度消费提出了质疑，尤其是他的头等舱机票和43000美元的电话亭。
Eshoo: “Do you have any remorse about this? You can answer, yes or no.”
Pruitt: “I echo your comments.... I think that what you said about the importance of public trust...”
Eshoo: “No, I want you to answer me. I have two minutes. Yes or no? Do you have any remorse?”
Pruitt: “I think there are changes I made already…”
Eshoo: “Sir, you’re not going to outtalk me.”
埃肖总结道：“今天不是‘回避问题’日。我们代表我们的选民提出这些问题。
