Pruitt resigns as EPA chief
It’s about time, Dems say after troubled tenure
WASHINGTON – Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned Thursday, ending a tenure marked by allegations of misconduct that led to calls for his ouster.
Pruitt, a former Oklahoma state attorney general, was accused of spending extravagantly on travel, asking aides to run personal errands and accepting favorable terms for the rental of a condo owned by the wife of an energy lobbyist.
The Government Accountability Office concluded this year that the installation of a $43,000 soundproof telephone booth for Pruitt violated congressional appropriations law.
Pruitt worked aggressively to roll back environmental regulations that President Donald Trump and his allies viewed as burdensome to businesses. That won him praise from the president, who stood by his embattled EPA chief for months.
“Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this,” Trump wrote on Twitter as he announced Pruitt’s resignation.
Trump said Pruitt’s deputy, Andrew Wheeler, would replace him.
In his resignation letter, Pruitt praised Trump, saying he considered it “a blessing to be serving you in any capacity.” Pruitt said the “unrelenting attacks” took a toll on him and his family.
Democrats hailed Pruitt’s departure but expressed concern about environmental stewardship under a Trump administration.
“Took you long enough,” Sen.
Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., tweeted at Trump. “Still a very long way to go to fully #DrainTheSwamp.”
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the ranking member on the House Energy Commerce Committee, said Pruitt’s resignation was “long overdue.”
“He repeatedly violated the law, abused his position to enrich himself and wasted taxpayer money,” Pallone said. “Pruitt created a culture of corruption at EPA that has never been seen before in a federal agency, and for months, President Trump idly stood by and allowed him to do further harm.”
Pruitt and his allies, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, claimed he was the target of a left-wing conspiracy because of his efforts to dismantle Obama-era rules. By shedding Pruitt, the president lost his most ardent and effective deregulator.
In a follow-up tweet after Pruitt resigned, Trump said his new environmental administrator, Wheeler, “will continue on with our great and lasting EPA agenda.”
Later, while traveling to Montana, Trump said there was “no final straw” for Pruitt, and the resignation was “very much up to him.”
“I think Scott felt that he was a distraction,” Trump said.
The president’s endorsement didn’t stop some Republicans in Congress from joining the Pruitt-must-go chorus of about 170 Democrats. He faces more than a dozen federal investigations examining his conduct and ethics.
Pruitt’s departure sets up a potentially bruising confirmation battle in the Senate for his successor.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is unhappy with Pruitt’s moves to reduce ethanol consumption that is economically important to Midwestern states, said the EPA administrator was “as swampy as you can get.”
Among the criticisms: A top assistant to Pruitt conducted personal errands for her boss last year, including booking personal flights, hunting for homes and inquiring about the availability of a used mattress from Trump International Hotel.