Pruitt is out, but Republicans in Washington still do not care about ethics

Scott Pruitt appears before a sub-committee on Senate appropriations. (Photo AP / Andrew Harnik, record)

The resignation of Scott Pruitt should be good news. As a former director of the Environmental Protection Agency, he is the subject of at least 13 investigations. His rampage through the EPA is a legend, and he will feature prominently in annual ethics training sessions across the executive for years to come. We are, indeed, lucky to be rid of him, but the debris that he leaves is not a cause for celebration.

Following the announcement of Pruitt's resignation, the president expressed his gratitude for Pruitt's government service and told reporters that he was not worried about the allegations of Pruitt. # 39; misconduct. Perhaps even more troubling is the complicity of some members of Congress who could have done more to ask the White House to stop or suppress Pruitt. To his credit, Representative Trey Gowdy (RSC), Chair of the Government Management and Government Reform Oversight Committee, is investigating several of the many allegations against Pruitt. But other people with the power to exercise significant control have failed in their constitutional duty

Some members of Congress sought to cover Pruitt Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) Strangely accused "Obama and his media mates" of trying to oust Pruitt from the government, ignoring the fact that the president could pick any substitute for Pruitt. Representative David B. McKinley (RW.Va.) denounced Pruitt's criticism as "a classic display of innuendo and McCarthyism" Representative Joe Barton (R-Tex.) Called Pruitt " victim of Washington's policy ". Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) went so far as to attack his colleagues to fulfill their supervisory responsibilities when Pruitt testified at a congressional hearing: "It is shameful today. that this hearing has become an audience of personal attack and a shameful attempt to denigrate the work that is one to the EPA. "

Others communicated indifference or hesitation. Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) Dismissed the scandal as a "distraction". Senator James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), Whose former staff is now a director of the EPA, has publicly meditated on the authenticity of the allegations against Pruitt. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) said the scandal was "between the president and the administrator", an opinion also expressed by the representative Pete Olson (R-Tex.). For his part, the President of the House, Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) Simply admitted: "Frankly, I did not pay any particular attention to it."

In this context, the The legacy of the Scott Pruitt scandal is a failure of oversight and establishing a low threshold for government ethics. Following his resignation, the president ranked the Pruitt service to the public " Outstanding " and declared it "formidable". This praise shares a theory that Pruitt's sycophancy and his stubborn commitment to Trump's political objectives outweighed ethical concerns. allowed him to survive as long as he did it. Instead of ethics, what Trump seems to demand is personal loyalty. Pruitt seems to have understood this requirement too well, reiterating his loyalty to Trump even in his resignation letter: "It's extremely difficult for me to stop serving you in this role first because I consider it a blessing. to serve you for any reason whatsoever. but also because of the transformation work that is happening. …. Thank you again Mr. President for the honor of serving you and I wish you the greatest gratitude in all that you put your hand. "

Pruitt's servile loyalty oath to his former boss contrasts sharply with the executive branch's first executive directive of the branch, which President George HW Bush is established by decree and is now codified in regulations as "the fundamental obligation of the public service." This directive commands loyalty not to an individual politician but to the "Constitution, laws and ethical principles" so that "every citizen can have complete confidence in the law." integrity of the federal government. "

[Scott Pruitt is acting like what he is: The poorest member of Trump’s Cabinet]

Other persons appointed by the President who seek to abuse their official duties may benefit from imitating Pruitt's dedication to their boss. Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao, for example, has recently been the subject of close scrutiny for appearing to promote her family's shipping activities when she participated in a series of events. 39, official interviews with his father. Under the new Pruitt standard, Chao can probably count on one of the many free passes to avoid liability for this appearance of impropriety. Secretary of State for the Interior Ryan Zinke remains a formidable candidate to climb the top of the list of the most unethical cabinet officials, but he may still have some passes to burn before passing Pruitt. The same is likely true of some dubious cases of Senior Presidential Advisor Jared Kushner and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross

. A bad ethical tone of the summit, which began with Trump's refusal to yield his conflicting financial interests, continues to erode this program. Trump's recommendation from Pruitt is a statement as strong as a leader can send to devalue the importance of ethics in government.

The fundamental principle that public service is a public tru is now on the ropes. . Congress members who share responsibility for Pruitt's ethical failures will find it difficult to avoid appearing hypocritical if they demand ethical conduct on the part of those appointed in this administration or the next. Gowdy is a notable exception, but he leaves Congress. It is time for his colleagues to intensify their monitoring of the ethical weaknesses of this administration. The path to buyback may require an acknowledgment of liability for not having overseen the EPA administrator and a commitment to upholding government ethics. As for the executive branch, Trump can begin by reducing his praise of the current titleholder "member most contrary to the ethics of modern history".