EPA chief Pruitt resigns after months of scandals

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt (Pete Marovich / Getty Images / AFP)

WASHINGTON – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned lease.

With Pruitt's departure, President Donald Trump, director of the conservative firm.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and other officials Pushed to the top of the headlines of a scandal, according to a senior

Talking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump continued to praise his scandal-plagued EPA chief, saying there was "no final straw" and he had not asked for Pruitt's resignation. 19659006] "Scott is a terrific guy," Trump said. "He came to me and said, I have such great confidence in the administration, I do not want to be distracted.

In his resignation letter to Trump, obtained by The Associated Press, "It is extremely difficult for me" I count it a blessing to be used in any capacity, but also, because of the transformative work that is happening, "Pruitt wrote. However, the unrelenting attacks on me, my family, are unprecedented and have taken a toll on us. "

Pruitt, a Republican, had appeared Wednesday at a White House picnic for Independence Day, wearing a red -checked shirt and loafers with gold trim.

EPA Deputy Administrator Andrew Wheeler, to form coal industry lobbyist, will take over the helm as acting administrator starting Monday.

] "Trump tweeted Thursday."

Pruitt's resigning cameramen scandals involving Pruitt.

Samantha Dravis, who has recently been appointed to the position of chief executive officer, told investigators last week that he had become EPA administrator and that he would like the attorney general's job, held then and now by Jeff Sessions.

Pruitt "had hinted at that (sic) some sort of conversation had taken place between he and the president," Dravis told congressional investigators, according to a transcript granted Thursday by the AP. "

To form Oklahoma attorney general close to the oil and gas industry, Pruitt had filed more than a dozen lawsuits against the agency he was picked to lead. Arriving in Washington, he worked relentlessly to dismantle Obama-era environmental regulations that aims to reduce toxic pollution and planet-warming carbon emissions.

During his one-year tenure, Pruitt crisscrossed the country at taxpayer expense to speak with industry groups These groups quickly applauded his departure.

"Despite his brief tenure, these groups quickly applauded his departure." Kieran Suckling, Executive Director of the Center for Biological Diversity. "

Like Trump, Pruitt voiced skepticism about mainstream climate science and a fierce criticism of the Paris climate agreement. The president cheered his EPA chiefs moves to boost fossil fuel production and rollbacks regulations by corporate interests.

But despite the advancement of slashing red tape and promoting job creation, Pruitt had a mixed record of producing real-world results. (19659003) Pruitt was forced to follow a series of revelations involving pricey trips with many of them. $ 43,000 worth of soundproof booth for making private phone calls. He also requested 24-hour-a-day protection from armed officers, resulting in a $ 20 million payment.

Pruitt routinely ordered his EPA staff to do personal chores for him, trump hotel mattress for his apartment. He had also enlisted his staff to contact a lucrative job for his unemployed wife, including emails seeking a Chick-fil-A franchise from a senior executive at the fast food chain.

Pruitt's job had been in jeopardy since the end of March, when ABC News first reported that he leased a Capitol Hill condo last year for just $ 50 a night. It was co-owned by the wife of a veteran fossil fuels lobbyist whose firm sought regulatory rollbacks from EPA.

Both Pruitt and the lobbyist, Steven Hart, denied he had any recent business with EPA. But Hart was later forced to admit he had met with Pruitt at EPA headquarters, Williams & Jensen, revealed he had lobbied the agency on a required federal disclosure

He has been brought to EPA from Oklahoma. Documents later showed Pruitt's chief of staff had signed off on the pay hikes, indicating he had the administrator's consent.

The slew of damaging revelations, many of which came to light through media reports and public records lawsuits filed by environmental groups, triggered (19659003) Pruitt's resignation might affect those ongoing investigations. No longer a federal employee, Pruitt can not be compelled to speak with the general inspector. As a Private Citizen, he could still be subpoenaed to testify before Congress, but Republican-led committees have thus far shown little appetite in forcing him to

Jennifer Kaplan, a spokeswoman for EPA General Inspector Arthur Elkins, said Thursday that the office was "assessing and evaluating" its ongoing audits and investigations in the wake of Pruitt's departure.

Senator John Barrasso, the Republican chairman of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works and until Thursday a strong defender of Pruitt, said Trump made the right decision to accept the resignation.

"It's been difficult to carry out its mission with the administrator under investigation," said Barrasso, who is from Wyoming.

Pruitt is the latest Trump Cabinet official to lose his job on ethics issues. Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin has been fired in March, and is in the midst of a dispute over the privatization of medical care. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price was fired last year after it was reported he took up costly charter flights instead of commercial planes

"Mr. Pruitt's brazen abuse of his position for his / her / its own personal gain has been absolutely astounding, rivaled only by the silence of far too many in the White House , "Said Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, long a vocal critic of Pruitt's. / kga

Do not miss out on the latest news and information.