Scott Pruitt Firing May Finally Be On The Horizon As White House Sources Say He’s On Thin Ice With Trump
Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt may finally be on thin ice with President Donald Trump according to White House insiders. Pruitt has been hit with more than a dozen allegations of ethics violations and he is currently at the center of numerous Congressional investigations. Many have wondered what it would take for the president to cut the EPA chief loose and it seems that Trump may finally be close to drawing a line in the sand.
CNN reports that according to a senior administration official, EPA head Scott Pruitt is “inching forward to the tipping point.” President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he believes Pruitt is doing a good job with the EPA. However, White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said earlier this week that the president is looking into the allegations against the controversial Cabinet member. Gidley added that when they have an announcement to make on the matter, they will make it.
Pruitt has been dogged with questions about his spending and ethics since shortly after he stepped into his EPA role. Most recently, reports emerged indicating that he and his staff had manipulated their schedules and calendars to hide certain meetings from the public. In addition, Pruitt has allegedly stiffed young aides multiple times on travel expenses that he had them put on their personal credit cards.
Two Democratic Congressmen ask the EPA's watchdog to investigate agency boss Scott Pruitt after a CNN report found omissions from his public calendar https://t.co/VNBZZfSjnT pic.twitter.com/8qxDk308ig
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) July 5, 2018
Previous allegations have involved reports that Pruitt used his position and government resources to try to get his wife a Chick-fil-A franchise, a used mattress from a Trump hotel, and a deal on a room rental from a Washington lobbyist couple. The EPA head has also faced questions on his spending in relation to items such as a soundproof booth in his office, his security detail, a trip to Morocco, and excessive staff pay raises.
The New York Times notes that Pruitt is currently at the center of 13 federal inquiries related to his management and spending. There have been calls among Democrats for months now for President Trump to fire Pruitt, but it looks as if the distaste for the EPA chief’s style has crossed party lines. Even conservative commentary Laura Ingraham tweeted this week about how swampy Pruitt is, calling for him to go.
Pruitt is the swamp. Drain it.
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) July 3, 2018
Despite all of the outrage over Pruitt, reports have detailed that he wants Jeff Sessions’ Attorney General job and has expressly asked for it. There have been numerous signs emerging that Trump was leaning toward making this move, but the growing stack of headlines and allegations against the EPA head may derail that plan.
As the allegations against EPA chief Scott Pruitt continue to increase, the calls for his firing increase as well. Other Trump administration officials have been let go for smaller scandals and people are anxiously waiting to see what it will take for President Trump to wash his hands of this Cabinet member as well.
