1. She confronted EPA head Scott Pruitt about his “corruption.” Kristin Mink‘s husband filmed her (watch below) calmly walking up to Pruitt at DC restaurant Teaism on July 2 with her baby in tow. Reading from handwritten notes, Kristin urged Pruitt to resign, stating, “We deserve to have somebody at the EPA who actually does protect our environment, somebody who believes in climate change and takes it seriously for the benefit of all of us, including our children. I would urge you to resign before your scandals push you out.”
“This is my son. He loves animals. He loves clean air. He loves clean water. Meanwhile, you’re slashing strong fuel standards for cars and trucks, for the benefit of big corporations.” Pruitt and bodyguards left the restaurant before she sat back down.
She later told HuffPost, “He had no defense. He had no explanation. He had no apology. He had nothing to say. When you are a government official… you are supposed to be directly working for the citizens that you’re serving. He’s a public servant. When you’re in that position, you should want to hear from the people who you are supposed to be taking care of.”
2. She said she did it for her two-year-old son, who is seen in the video with her. In a statement to Splinter, Mink explained: “His actions are the source of so much of my despair for my child’s future and frankly the future of humanity. He’s literally sacrificing our air and water, the well-being of coastal communities, all kinds of unique natural resources, for short-term personal gains. Buying stupid crap like a soundproof phone booth for his office and first-class plane tickets with taxpayer dollars, living in housing discounted for him by an energy group while he does favors for their clients. I honestly don’t know how he sleeps at night. It feels very personal. That’s why I decided to introduce him to my son. Like, you are wrecking the earth THIS KID, every kid, will inherit.”
3. She’s a sixth grade teacher. Mink teaches sixth grade at the prestigious Sidwell Friends school in Washington, DC, while counts Malia Obama, Chelsea Clinton, Punisher‘s Jon Bernthal, and even Bill Nye as alumni. Sasha Obama is a current student.
4. She was arrested for protesting the Trump administration just last week. Mink told The New York Post that she was arrested last week at the Hart Senate Office Building while protesting the separation of children from their families at the US-Mexico border. She said that she didn’t approach Pruitt as an activist, but as a “mom and citizen.”
5. Scott Pruitt thanked her for confronting him. No, really. Lincoln Ferguson, EPA spokesman, said Pruitt,“always welcomes input from Americans, whether they agree or disagree with the decisions being made at EPA. This is evident by him listening to her comments and going on to thank her, which is not shown in the video.”