Sheldon Whitehouse Questions EPA Nominee Usha Turner on Ex-Boss's Trump Fundraiser Ties

EPA Nominee's Former CEO at Trump Fundraiser

• 🎯 Senator Sheldon Whitehouse questioned EPA Assistant Administrator Nominee Usha-Maria Turner regarding her former boss, Expand Energy CEO Domenic Dell'Osso, Jr.
• 💡 Dell'Osso, Jr. reportedly attended a 20-person fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago hosted by oil billionaire Harold Ham for then-candidate Trump.
• 💰 It was reported that Trump asked attendees to donate a billion dollars in exchange for rolling back environmental rules for the oil industry.

Nominee's Lack of Direct Involvement

• 🚫 Usha-Maria Turner stated that she was not present at the Mar-a-Lago gathering.
• 🚫 She also confirmed that no one reporting to her was present or involved in preparing materials for the event or engaging with the Trump campaign.
• ⚠️ Turner clarified that her role at Chesapeake Energy (now Expand Energy) as Chief Sustainability Officer did not involve preparing board packages related to such political visits.

Awareness of CEO's Attendance and Industry Lobbying

• 🧐 Turner confirmed it was her understanding that her CEO, Mr. Dell'Osso, was at the event.
• 💬 She was not aware of any agreement, exchange, or arrangement Mr. Dell'Osso entered into related to the gathering.
• 📰 Turner mentioned seeing news reports afterward but did not recall specifics about what was discussed or agreed upon, emphasizing she was not present.

"Spoon-Feeding the Administration" Concerns

• 🗣️ Senator Whitehouse referenced an oil industry lobbyist's statement about "spoon-feeding the administration" with 27-page drafts.
• ❓ Turner stated she had not seen nor was she aware that Chesapeake was involved in drafting any material associated with the Mar-a-Lago visit.