The two main defenses of Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt’s questionable condo lease both suffered significant blows late Wednesday. And, making matters worse, President Trump doesn’t sound particularly committed to Pruitt.
Since his $50-per-night, vacation-style rental agreement with the wife of an energy lobbyist was publicized, Pruitt’s defenders have focused on two things:
Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) called for Scott Pruitt’s resignation Tuesday, becoming the first Republicans to demand the embattled Environmental Protection Agency administrator step down amid growing controversy over his spending and ties to lobbyists.
Aides to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt last year considered leasing a private jet on a month-to-month basis to accommodate his travel needs, according to current and former agency officials.
In early March, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt approached the White House with a request: He wanted substantial pay raises for two of his closest aides.
The aides, Sarah Greenwalt and Millan Hupp, were part of the small group of staffers who had traveled with Pruitt to Washington from Oklahoma, where he had served as attorney general. Greenwalt, a 30-year-old who had worked as Pruitt’s general counsel in Oklahoma, was now his senior counsel at the EPA. Hupp, 26, was working on his political team before she moved to D.C. to become the agency’s scheduling director.
An unbeatable deal on a luxury condo. A lobbyist with energy-industry clients. Something seems fishy.
Members of the Trump administration continue to have difficulty following basic ethical standards. The latest lapse, by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, is more troubling than the recent purchase of a $31,000 dining set by HUD Secretary Ben Carson, which he blamed on his wife. (Who said chivalry is dead?)
The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is “to protect human health and the environment.” Disgraced EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt tried his best to undermine this vital mission by choosing to slash critical health protections and let corporate polluters off the hook. Now that Pruitt’s been booted, we need an EPA administrator dedicated to undoing his toxic agenda and restoring the agency to its core mission. Progress is possible and necessary – but another corporate crony or climate skeptic will not get us there.
Scott Pruitt is gone, but the fight is just beginning. We need an EPA administrator who puts our health and environment first, period. Any alternative is unacceptable.
