Grifter Resigns
PoliticsDonald Trump announced on Thursday that Scott Pruitt, the nation’s most powerful grifter, has resigned as director of the Environmental Protection Agency.
“I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,” Trump wrote on Twitter. He added that “Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this.” Whether or not Pruitt has done an “outstanding job” seems hardly up for debate. During his short tenure at the EPA, Pruitt was involved in numerous scandals and clear ethics violations. The list was long and ranged from the absurd—like a $43,000 phone booth and expensive fountain pens—to the shady, like a recent attempt to secure his wife a job at Chick-fil-A. Pruitt also appeared to have accepted gifts from lobbyists seeking favor with the EPA director.
If you haven’t been able to keep up with the questionable affairs of Scott Pruitt, or would like a primer on petty grifting, Jezebel compiled a helpful list of Pruitt’s most notable scams. It’s truly Pruitt’s only legacy.
Andrew Wheeler, the EPA’s Deputy, will replace Pruitt on Monday, Trump said. “I have no doubt that Andy will continue on with our great and lasting EPA agenda,” the president tweeted. While Wheeler might not be quite as practiced at the grift, he will be as hostile to EPA regulation and environmental protections as his boss. Prior to his appointment at the EPA, Wheeler was an energy lobbyist whose clients included coal producer Murray Energy. He is also a climate change denier and a member of the Washington Coal Club which, in addition to being real and not the fictional social club of a Dickens villain, actively promotes pro-coal policies.