EPA chief meets with Trump, fights to keep job

WASHINGTON — Embattled Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt met with President Donald Trump on Friday to lay out his case for why he should remain in his post.

Amid a stream of questions about his ethical standing, Pruitt visited the White House to discuss his agency’s recent steps to roll back Obama-era fuel efficiency standards for cars, but he also fought for his job in his meeting with the president, according to two administration officials.

While White House aides are increasingly fed up with Pruitt and chief of staff John Kelly has advocated firing him, Trump remains less certain. Pruitt is one of the most-effective members of his Cabinet in undermining his predecessor’s regulatory agenda, and Trump enjoys his hard-charging style.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive internal discussions.

Earlier Friday, Trump also pushed back against news reports that he had considered replacing Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, with Pruitt, saying in a tweet that his EPA chief “is doing a great job but is TOTALLY under siege.”

Kelly and other White House aides are frustrated by the steady drip of negative press Pruitt is attracting over a seemingly below-market lease on an apartment owned by the wife of a leading lobbyist, reports that he instructed his security detail to use emergency lights and sirens to beat traffic, and the continuing fallout from Kelly Pruitt