“Scott is doing a great job!” President Trump tweeted on Saturday. But others in the GOP have begun to turn on the EPA chief, who is tangled up in a spending-related web of his own making.
- Susan Collins of Maine — the only Republican senator who voted against confirming Pruitt — lit into him in an interview with CNN on Monday. “I think Scott Pruitt is the wrong person to head the EPA,” she said. Republican senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John Neely Kennedy of Louisiana agree with her.
- John Kelly, Trump’s stalwart chief of staff, advised the president to fire Pruitt in late March. (Unfortunately, Trump has a pretty severe allergy to Kelly’s advice.)
- Trey Gowdy, a South Carolina Republican and chair of the House Oversight Committee, just launched an investigation into Pruitt’s spending habits. “I don’t have a lot of patience for that kind of stuff,” he told the New York Times.
- Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is no stranger to scandal (did someone say “Bridgegate”?). He expertly weighed in on Pruitt’s condo scandal last week: “I don’t know how you survive this one.”
To name a few of Pruitt’s newly revealed shenanigans: There was the $50-per-night condo owned by energy lobbyists, plus the revelation that his 24/7 security detail costs taxpayers $3 million a year. He also went behind the White House’s back to give raises to two aides — and then apparently lied on live TV about it.
And remember all those first-class flights? AP reports that Pruitt flies coach on personal trips, only upgrading when taxpayers foot the bill.
This story was originally published by Grist with the headline A growing number of Republicans say Scott Pruitt is the wrong guy for the job. on Apr 9, 2018.
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