Charting the churn
The Brookings Institution, which has been tracking turnover of Trump’s A-team, calculates that through resignations, firings and promotion, 54 percent of Trump’s 65 top hires are no longer on their original job. Fellow Kathryn Dunn Tenpas told the Review-journal on Thursday that she expects that percentage will rise even higher this month, when other top staffers who have announced they are leaving exit the White House. none of it. “Donald Trump made a campaign promise to drain the swamp. Instead, he brought in people like Scott Pruitt — one of the most corrupt Cabinet members in modern American history. For more than a year, Pruitt abused his power and shamelessly wasted taxpayer dollars, and Trump stood by him in scandal after scandal.”
A former Attorney General of Oklahoma, Pruitt seemed oblivious to the notion that he should spend taxpayer dollars carefully to avoid ethics complaints and federal investigations.
In December he took a trip with an entourage to Morocco to promote natural gas exports that critics contended had nothing to do with the EPA portfolio.
Aides also claimed that Pruitt needed to fly first-class because he frequently was threatened. The administrator tried to close himself off from scrutiny by putting a $43,000 soundproof booth at the EPA – a purchase which the General Accounting Office deemed illegal.
“It’s not surprising to see somebody move along with this kind of attention,” energy consultant Matt Dempsey told the Review-journal.
Dempsey, who used to work with Wheeler as a staffer for Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-okla., predicted Pruitt’s replacement will fare better because he works across the aisle.
“Andrew is not going to have any of those problems,” Dempsey said. “Andrew’s going to do everything by the book.”
Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com or at 202-662-7391. Follow @ Debrajsaunders on Twitter.