There is a mountain of evidence that Pruitt used government resources to enrich himself and his family. This is taxpayer money that is being stolen. Where is Congress in this ugly scenario? Vote in November.
19
The corruption of Trump and his administration is mindboggling. These people could easily compete with the lawlessness of the Gilded Age. I can't help but wonder why we hear nothing from President Obama on Trump's ravaging of America and her allies. It's no longer viable to "go high" when they "go low." Please step up, Mister President. Your voice matters.
4
The damage that Pruitt could cause may have serious implications for decades and not just on the United States but the world. The EPA is about protecting the environment and it's vital to gave a champion, a responsible stewart...a public servant in this position. If Pruitt has broken any laws who cares, let The Donald pardon him; but Pruitt most go, it's our environment that matters most.
5
If his aides bought into Pruitt's plan to destroy the environment of the nation than they deserve the treatment that they received. Pruitt's ethical shortcomings are beyond great but what bothers me more are not concerned about his plans to allow companies to dump more toxins into our air and waterways. That's what should be getting the attention of the American people!
3
Pruitt is clearly a small-timer when it comes to corruption, though his heart is in it much deeper than his ability to do anything other than embarrass and humiliate himself and his family. Take the ugly business of his intervention for his daughter. She will carry this lead weight around with her for her career. What if she'd rather fend for herself and make her way her own way? If she has any more integrity than dad (how could she not?) she is likely already unhappy about it and not looking forward to carrying anymore of his loathsome baggage.
3
This guy is a creep and corruption personified, but why are we surprised, it's just another link to the Trump swamp that he brought into Washington.
I worked in the DOD for 32 in government contractor oversight, and didn't even take a coffee and donuts at contractor meetings for fear of conflict of interest or breach of ethics, even though the contractor.
This guy is the sleaziest I've seen in Washington, ever and you can add the Trump family and Jared Kushner right next to him.
27
E.P.A my foot! It needs to be renamed the E.D.A - the Environmental Destruction Agency.
Scott Pruitt is nothing but a Trump wanna-be. The swamp grows bigger and more foul.
5
When is this paragon of corruption, Scott Pruitt, doing a perp walk? Pruitt is emblematic of the Trump corruption. Yet, the craven, opportunistic Republicans look the other way. This irresponsible, treasonous behavior by the Republicans is getting old. Vote in November, and turn both houses of Congress, we need true checks and balances back, and actually drain the putrid, polluted Trump swamp.
3
Excellent reporting on him acting like a CEO.
Unfortunately, the general election endorsed a mandate to make the federal government more like private business.
I sympathize with the difficulty of showing with evidence that actions result in people being hurt.
Getting the attention of the wounded seems to be a greater difficulty. ... because politics.
What was the line? "...but he's _our_ crook."
2
amazing, and this guy thinks he has a political future..
3
As a retired federal employee, I am disgusted but not surprised at all. There are ethics rules prohibiting Federal employees from engaging in this sort of behavior. Any other Federal employee would be fired. So where is the IG (Inspector General) or OGE (Office of Government Ethics) here? Or does he just get a pardon for Trump? These laws were designed so government employees do not benefit from their office. Pruitt you are a disgrace to every Federal employee out there who does do the right thing! What kind of example are you setting by benefiting yourself from public office? Please everyone vote them out in November- this kind of behavior is beneath the office he hols.
6
He's there 'cause Trump likes him. Why wouldn't he? Pruitt is his "Mini-Me".
5
This is what he did before emerging from the swamp in Washington.
3
So what was Mr. Pruitt meeting with Philip Anschutz about? Anschutz owns Xanterra Parks & Resorts (formerly Amfac Resorts and Amfac Parks & Resorts) which obtained the National Park concession monopoly and milks the J-1 visa program for foreign labor. But that's the Dept. of Interior. Does EPA have to sign off on National Park construction projects?
4
... and Paul Ryan, third in line for the presidency, claims he's not been following this!
Ryan is an empty suit, a spineless quisling. In a way his lack of moral leadership is worse than what Scott Pruitt's doing -- and THAT'S saying something.
17
Shock after shock after shock after shock. As if Ronnie Reagan, G.W. Bush, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and Gingrich weren't enough, we go on a daily basis from ridiculous to sublime.
Have these criminals been hiding in the bushes all along?
How much longer are we the American people going to be forced to endure this?
4
Bring him up on charges for fraud. Quit pussy footing around.
6
Always felt it was about his personal money situation (average++:[tho, remember, he's got that state pension, benefits, etc. package going for him & family, now bumped up or more likely added to a federal package; he's not penniless or without some nice 'cushions' in life] ) and him trying to live like the likes of Mnuchin and Ross and Trump family, etc., etc.
Recall he needed a bunch of favors, and favorable terms to 'buy' his highly mortgaged / leverage home.
He's clearly way out of his league, $$$-wise, and desperately wants to fit in and/or grab as much as he can now, while the grabbin's good.
D.C. is a very expensive town. Maybe the 'average' guy or gal really can't live and work there on behalf of the people?
None of which excuses this horrible, horrible man whatsoever.
His assault on the environment is criminal, and I wish him to be gone!
18
Pruitt is Trump on a much smaller scale - an entitled grifter.
24
Pruitt is so part of the swamp. He needs to resign (or be fired) immediately!
15
Pruitt is such a yokel. He considers himself a big man who can't be told no, but the reality is he's asking for inane things that he could do at home if he knew how to use a computer. Used mattresses and lotion? One click shopping. My bigger concern is the undoing of environmental protections, as he distracts Americans with these goofy scandals.
15
It’s fascinating how much help Pruitt’s wife and daughter—especially his daughter—need to “accomplish” something. So much for meritocracy, bootstraps, etc. etc.
16
Don't rag on the daughter. We have not heard from her and have no idea whether she was pleased or horrified by Dad's participation in her life. Some parents are intrusive in ways that their offspring do not want (take it from one who knows).
4
Even if the daughter was helped getting into law school, she has to pass the classes, get a recommendation as to good moral character, and pass the bar. On her own.
1
This house of cards will eventually come tumbling down, it always does. Every now and again Democracy needs a good shakeup so we can all redefine who we are. It's not pretty but it's probably necessary.
It took a long time to bring this about. Bill Clinton's misbehavior begat George W. Bush and WMD lies that begat a financial crisis and Barrack Obama that begat white nationalist Donald Trump. The DNC couldn't let go of the Clintons making it seem like a suffocating circle of failure. Voters rallied against someone not for them.
Fed up, those who felt global change overtook them rushed to the one who promised the most without listening to details but loving the attention. Reality had no place in displaced lives. But reality will always crash through the barriers. I don't know the laws on personal graft but I have no doubt Scott Pruitt will end up in jail. No one is unscathed after 15 investigations; even Al Capone ended up in jail, not for murder but for fraud.
7
The freak show that has been the Trump White House and Cabinet probably has a good long life left to it.
I see it as a natural replacement for The Rosie O’Donnell Show with Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kellyanne Conway, and Scott Pruitt in the starring roles, and occasional guest appearances by Jared and Ivanka.
5
I am confused. He has a million dollar mortgage but makes $133,000/year? Who pays those payments? What banker approved that loan? Something is very amiss here, the payments must be $10,000 month with taxes and insurance. I’d follow the money.
20
Why, why does this unethical and cruel man, who obviously does not care whatever so the environment, still hold this position and title? I'm no longer surprised to see story after story of the investigations into how he conducts 'business' and it is so enraging.
He needs to go! And he's not the only one... ugh!
21
The Trump administration reminds me of an old basketball coaching strategy that takes advantage of the fact that while there are five players on the court, there are only two referees.
So many of them are grabbing what they can while they can that it will take a while to catch them. But they'd better start paying attention because one by one they are being picked off and will face the legal consequences.
Pruitt will be no exception.
6
Bringing private sector standards into government.
1
A total tool and hack. I thought Watt under Reagan was bad but he was a shining light compared to this clown.
I wish someone who wanted to enforce the laws and regulations to protect clean air and water would be appointed. I know, good luck with that.
It has turned into a political hack appointment.
7
At some point, Scott Pruitt's continuing 'deregulation' of America's environmental standards will cause tragedies similar to the Flint, Michigan, water crisis; or the bad air in Beijing that occasionally kills hundreds of people in just one day.
Is it possible that a deadly result like this will cause Americans to rise up in outrage? Um...no. There's no public outrage in our country any more. That's why things keep getting worse and worse.
But what could be worse than seizing children from parents and storing them in a prison-like facility, while losing track of who the children are and who they belong to? And doing no DNA tests to prove parentage?
What could be worse? Well, wait and see. With this administration, you won't have to wait long.
12
Remember Clinton's much criticized description of Trump supporters (rather in general) as "deplorables"? Well, as something over the top as that descriptive might have been, it applies PERFECTLY to Scott Pruitt. He should be sacked immediately, and sadly there seems little hope that he will, because his "boss," Trump is even more deplorable than Pruitt.
6
Meanwhile, 2500 year old trees have suddenly started dying. Trump and his ilk put profits ahead of life and liberty.
3
Scott Pruitt seems to be in violation of Subpart C of 5 C.F.R. part 2635.
There's a reason why federal government workers are prohibited from accepting "gifts" from workers they supervise directly or indirectly. In government work, you don't get to accept "free babysitting" from federal workers in your chain of command, nor other "services" even if undertaken in their "free time."
Pruitt's workplace behavior is not just inappropriate -- it's illegal.
17
Just when you think you have heard it all...I read about "the motorcade to a baseball game." He has such a sense of entitlement that it has clouded any sense of morality he may have once had. It is time for him to go And I will never understand why Donald Trump goes along with this. Can anybody tell me why he does?
7
You have a very fitting expression: "Birds of a feather flock together." and we have another "One crow does not peck out the eyes of another crow." Definitely a grisly saying, but it also fits the bill nicely.
4
The swamp has been replaced with an equally hubristic, arrogant, law-defying, self-righteous group of insiders who in this administration make no excuses to reflect the interests of the uber rich of big business with unfettered capitalism.
4
Why should we be surprised, Trump and his cronies don't think laws apply to them. Sessions should begin an investigation immediately.
4
Lifestyles of the rich and famous, as imagined by Scott Pruitt. Champagne kisses and caviar dreams or I guess, Ritz Carlton lotion and Chick Fil A franchises.
He really hit the jackpot in every respect with Donald.
7
Pruitt's arrogance is what it is, but his violation of the law, the ethics regulations is clearly unacceptable.
Under Title 28 (CFR), Chapter VI, Part 600. The US Attorney General has to investigate and he has 90 days to decide whether to appoint an independent counsel. Will Sessions appoint an independent counsel thus drawing more ire (as if that were possible) from Trump?
This law breaker, Pruitt needs to be given the boot for his self-dealing ways; however, perhaps in Trump's desire for "chaos" he thinks it's all in days work to have another independent counsel investigating his administration. To quote the Orange One, "Bing, bing, bing!" because that's the way they roll in Trumplandia.
46
No, Pres. Trump, how he handles the EPA really is secondary to him breaking the law and feeling so entitled he can curry favor, by the work of our staffers (recall they are not your staffers).
There has been a long tradition of tossing such abusers out of office, usually by the guy at the top, which is you, and you add to the failures list by not doing so immediately.
Remember, the END does not justify the MEANS. Simple rule, and I give you the reminder at no charge, but tickets to a private White House tour by your wife or one of her staff would be nice.
15
This is bad and unethical behavior, as was his earlier excess spending on office perks and security. But the bigger damage relates to his actual environmental policies: systematically rolling back rules on clean water, air pollution, chemicals, making national parks less accessible to the public, denying climate and science research.
How about running sidebars illustrating the impact of those policies along with every article about his personal behavior? After all, those policies of deregulation, many with dangerous health and environmental outcomes that may not be immediately noticeable, are what keeps him in Trump and GOP's good graces. That he is dismantling sound environmental protections that were put in place to protect our people, lands, and wildlife is at least as worthy of coverage as his personal failures.
51
Hear, hear-every time media quotes what has been said or tweeted by these cretins it, by default, reinforces their legitimacy in the eyes of Trumplandia. There needs to be a truth meter or impact sidebar-or a running chyron on every article, stating the true results of all this. The corruption is mind boggling; the policy damage incurred as well as normative actions are almost irreparable harm.
2
Yes, I agree. I don’t see any news coverage about Pruitt’s disastrous deregulation of EPA standards. Environmental deregulation that could cause permanent damage to our already fragile eco systems. Cover the petty theft and demagoguery, but also cover the environmental impact he’s having.
5
Thank you CAE for posting this comment!! If we can get the press to focus on the issues that actually will/are affecting our lives, those of workers subjected to these toxins and environment instead of the “sensationalist” daily chaos of this administration we MIGHT have a chance of getting through to people. Thanks again
1
In any other administration, Pruitt would have been out a long time ago for his ethical lapses, if not outright corruption.
The fact that he hasn't resigned or been forced out, says a lot about how little Trump cares about ethics--in his mind ethics are only for the little people.
26
He thinks it is the Environmental Profit Agency.
31
Years ago, I had a friend who complained about his salary. He said he didn't know how his employer expected him to pay for a house in the suburbs, maintain two cars, and support a stay at home wife and two kids.
I said his boss would probably ask him, "Who told you to get married, have two kids and move to the suburbs?"
I mention this because Pruitt has complained about the cost of maintaining two homes and etc. knowing what the salary for his job was before he took it.
[[Mr. Pruitt told them that he expected a certain standard of living akin to wealthier Trump cabinet members. The aides felt as if Mr. Pruitt — who is paid about $180,000 a year — saw them as foot soldiers in achieving that lifestyle.
“The problem is he is not Trump — he is not a billionaire, but he sincerely thinks he is.”]]
Incredible.
"Public service" at it's best.
43
Another day, another Scott Pruitt scandal.
31
In the King James version of the Bible, it says, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes."
There will always be people who despoil the earth for their own personal enrichment.
Pruitt, you hypocrite, read your bible!
25
This guy is so arrogant, so what’s new? Watched on CSPAN last time he went before the Senate. Was talking about the >1300 Superfund Sites. As he continually reduces oversight and regulations on industries, how does he think we ended up with >1300 sites? Duh!
15
[[Mr. Wilcox, the E.P.A. spokesman, said in an email that Mr. Cummings “is misconstruing the facts.” He said Mr. Stone “simply connected Pruitt to the athletic department. Pruitt purchased the tickets at face value from the OU athletic department. To report otherwise, is false.”]]
Rrrrriiiiiiggghht.
13
He's clearly living above his means. Those financials would land him a very cozy 2 bedroom townhome in suburban Denver and a Honda Accord (security detail not included). There is of course, nothing wrong with townhomes and hondas, but his disgusting elitism is lpoathsome and unwarranted.
30
Just look at what has been uncovered with Kaseem Reed the former Mayor of Atlanta and it appear that his protege Keisha Lance Bottoms was prepared to take right after him. She got caught having an underling who also worked for Reed, charge her husband who is an Executive ( aka a token Black in-house lawyer with Home Depot, she filed her taxes separately and refused to disclose his, she was taking the child low income credit for one child on hers while the the other 3 kids were attending a 25k plus private school he must have claimed them).
She and her husband took first class flights to the Super Bowl, why Atlanta hosts the Super Bowl next year!. The ex mayor took something like 14 members of his staff on a business development trip to South Africa in the last six months of his term. Then when the news paper pointed it out. They have now found out for his whole term he was sending his police security detail out to buy him breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, pick up his dry cleaning on their P-cards. Fortunately severally of these police officers have written MKR snack, MKR dry cleaning all over the receipts. It is all over. Over $500k he thought he could get away with paying back 12k after the newspaper brought it out. Now he is up to $50k. The next county put a white female county council woman in prison after she paid back small amounts for a couple of years. Sorry boys and black women this doesn’t work.
You have to follow the rules.
5
New York Times did a story exactly on this back in April. Time for new stuff! Like giving out the Congressional representatives and Senators that are head of Ethics Committee. So at least your readers can contact them direct and pressure them into investigating Scott Pruitt and make it a top priority.
9
He a perfect representation of Oklahoma, they remain extremely proud of Him. Note MY address. You truly can't FIX willful ignorance.
21
Talk about violating the emoluments clause!
12
Good ole" Swampy. Drain the Swamp!
Geez.
14
More anti-Pruitt silly gossip. You really don't like this guy!
2
Surely you jest. The man has done nothing to protect the environment and, if allowed to continue, will cause irreparable harm to the environment and our combined quality of life.
8
when you invite the devil for dinner, do you really care what he eats?
Pruitt, like Trump and so many of his hand picked stooges, lackeys, and henchmen, basically believes he is an entitled aristocrat and the rest of us the peons and the help.
26
When I applied to college and medical school, I never thought to have Mom or Dad seek out letters of recommendation for me. My son got his own letters of recommendation for college, and if he applies to grad school/law school/med school, he'll find his own letters of recommendation then as well.
30
"A spokesman for Mr. Pruitt said that he and Mr. Howell had known each other for two decades and that 'letters of recommendation are normal process for an application to law school.'" Of course they are -- obtained by THE STUDENT from people that have taught them or for whom they've worked, not obtained through high-level family connections. No sense of limits, no sense that rules apply to him and to his family, no sense of ethics, no sense of shame.
29
Trump: "... he’s done a fantastic job running the E.P.A."....
also, may I add , regarding Puerto Rico post Maria, "I give myself a 10".
If you consider clean water and clean air as essential, the environment isn't really well "protected" under his watch.
That he still remains in charge after all the disclosures will forever be a well documented chapter of the Trump presidential debacle.
16
Having worked for over 25 years in corporate environments, providing administrative support to top executives, I can sadly say that this is the norm in many private and public companies.
10
In private environment, things like that can be perks and part of job description. Access to cooperate travel agents for private travel is common. I must say in my younger days, my manager on number of occasions asked me to go get Starbucks, however he also paid for my coffee as well as coffee for few other staff.
10
May be, but it happens to be against federal law. He should be fired and possible more.
16
I work for a large corporation and any attempt to game the system brings a very strong and uncomfortable visit with the next boss up the ladder.
There may be some of this going on, but it makes me uncomfortable to be in the presence of another company's employee doing this since I know it really isn't ethical for most situations, say nothing of the government.
3
If Pruitt keeps on going like this, he will replace Albert B. Fall and other notoriously corrupt cabinet officials as numero uno in U.S. history. Even James Watt is blushing somewhere by Pruitt's sheer audacity and creativity in his corruption.
10
This swampiest of Don the Con's swamp creatures should not stay in the cabinet for another minute. He's an embarrassment for the government and a disaster for the environment.
38
Pruitt, Manafort, Gates, and others to be named in the future...look up the meaning of corruption in the dictionary...you will find a picture of Trump....
Where is Rod Serling (Twilight Zone) when you need him?
18
There must be a few more streams to dump sewage into. Until then Pruitt, one of Trump's best people hires, will continue.
7
The evil parasite whose main job is to enrich himself and grease his sad and un-fulfilled ego before destroying our environment. Remove this man from this position before he kills us.
44
Swamp man. Drain him away...
9
Now that's a perfect mug shot of a sleazy con artist. Surprise.
8
“I’m not happy about certain things, but he’s done a fantastic job running the E.P.A., which is very overriding,” the president said.“
He has done fantastic job ruining the EPA, trump means. Trump’s minions are all as busy as beavers, chewing out and shredding the core of our government. Talk about a special place in hell.
23
It must be sad for a dedicated federal workers to have to work for a crime boss.
20
Well we do know that the staff of the EPA does not need to bother themselves with reading scientific data, nor preparing new legislation which would protect the environment. The EPA sole focus is one of getting rid of all environmental policy previously established. Pruitt and a lawyer can do that.
The staff therefore has a lot of time on their hands if they are to fill out an eight hour day time card. Mr. Pruitt (and family) have a lot of needs so why not keep them busy? And Pruitt has the added bonus of not having to pay out of his own pocket for butlers, maids, concierge services, personal secretary, shoe shiner, food taster, chauffeur, hairdresser. The EPA staff is more than happy to help! Besides, it will look good on their resumes. Since they no longer do real work in their chosen field, they may be looking for future employment in the personal servant category.
Its a win/win for all!
I take it that Mr. Pruitt was a huge fan of the TV show Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous? Now wonder he wanted a used Trump Hotel mattress.
10
China recently announced that it would stop accepting foreign plastic for its landfills because it was piling up and not being recycled. Meanwhile, Pruitt is taking us backwards in terms of clean air and water. It's a sad comment when China's government is moving in a more positive direction than ours.
7
Pruitt's entire career is marked by grift and corruption.
Unfortunately, when he is finally cut loose there will be little to celebrate by those of us who believe robust environmental regulations are a good thing. His 2nd in command is an ideological twin, sans the grift.
6
Vote. Vote for those opposed to the Trump regime. Vote before they take your right to vote away. Because they're trying.
11
How is this allowed to continue and why hasn't any if this been referred for criminal investigation? I bet if his background in Oklahoma was even lightly reviewed we'd see exactly the same behavior. This guy is a flat out crook.
8
in OK, this type of behavior is respected - especially if you're a lackey for the oil and gas industry. it shows you are someone, not just some broken down cowpoke or roughneck.
1
Scotty boy should be forced to live near a super funded site. Perhaps we can find him and his family a nice home in Flint where the pipes have not been changed or better yet in Puerto Rico where the power has not been restored.
Someone as corrupt as Pruitt deserves to be treated as such. I wonder how he manages to have any friends or family who do not see him as the lowest of the low!
13
It is so very hard to "drain the swamp" when the faucet is bigger than the drain.
16
Interesting that Pruitt wants to travel first class, buy a $40,000 sound-proof booth for his office, and requires a full security detail when he travels on the taxpayers tab, but (sends his aide out for) a used hotel mattress when the money comes from his own pocket.
11
Pruitt, like Trump, doesn't even bother to hide the shameless corruption, and the weak GOP are fully complicit in their action by no action. Everyone, and this literally means EVERYONE, Trumpsters included, will be paying a dear price for what Pruitt is doing to the environment.
We are very dark times, and this is spreading -- Trump didn't get here in a vacuum. He has major support, and it includes a large chunk of the US population -- until these people start understanding their lives are being affected in profound ways by their MAGA-man, this scourge will continue.
November is our chance to start climbing out of this darkness!
15
Use influence to get your child into law school? Sounds like affirmative action to me. In the years of Trump, kleptocrats are a protected category.
9
As with nearly all the malfeasance going on in this administration, will there ever be any price paid?
6
How much longer will we have to watch this egotist destroy our environment for his own gain and the gain of his friends? "LOCK HIM UP ALREADY"
5
The only solace I can take from this excellent reporting of a relentlessly corrupt person is that his political career, which was once seen as ascendant, is dead. Oh we'll see him again, but with some "Christian" or other right wing welfare outlet, where he can only harm the rubes.
8
How does a husband and wife that make less than 200K a year in combined income afford a $1.18 million home in Tulsa and a second residence in DC? How did they even get a mortgage? No wonder he was looking for used mattresses. But, as Trump says, there may be some problems, but overall he's doing a great job, just like the President himself.
8
There was some reporting on this a while back ... NYTimes, WashPo, elsewhere.
He relied on a 'friends' to get a more favorable purchase price and/or mortgage rate.
It was quite a 'daisy-chain' of events to get him into his million $$$ 'dream home.'
In way over his head .... 'Counting on the come,' as I've heard it stated ... a'hopin' and prayin' the payoffs, perks, etc. accumulate to catch up to and surpass the aspirational lifestyle he's living in the present.
3
One doesn't know where to begin. Perhaps change the name of the EPA to PPA -Pollution Protection Agency. From the Trumpsters' perspective Pruitt represents a miraculous alignment of their stars: corporate polluters love him for turning back regulation, Trump loves him because he is a prominent figure among Evangelical Christians who blindly support Trump as some sort of cult figure who can do no wrong, and the Freedom Caucus know-nothings love his efforts to dismantle a government agency.
His ethics problems are a small price to pay to keep him in his job, despite their smell.
2
This is what dominionism looks like. Scott Pruitt thinks he's on a mission for god, that he can do not wrong, and that he deserves to have his every whim fulfilled. His god, by the way, is a white male, because in his world, both Adam and Jesus had blue eyes. Meanwhile his boss wants you to think that FBI agents acted criminally because they had personal opinions. Godspeed Bob Mueller.
94
Bingo!
The Dominionist roots of Pruitt's hubris need to be properly exposed.
Biblical extremism is now promoting unchecked industrial waste as the will of god from the most powerful environmental policy position in the whole regulatory apparatus.
Policy must never be dictated in the service of extremist religious dogma.
Pruitt's guiding policy directive is based in Evangelical, Southern Baptist biblical Dominionism and should be analyzed by extensive investigative journalism, the red flag of danger raised.
Dominionism should be soundly identified as a cult of christianity, & its extreme ideology must be kept out of policymaking.
Typical industrialist 'godless greed' is old-school corruption for Americans, this is something else.
5
Trump and Pruitt are so proud of themselves for rolling back EPA rules to ensure clean water. Aren't they great? Who needs clean water?
These selfish, small-minded men can order bottled water for themselves and their families using taxpayer funds. Life's a beach (albeit a dirty one) when you are head of the EPA and President Ignoramus has your back.
88
Champagne appetite, beer income, overblown sense of entitlement, trying to run with his big dog peers. A situation ripe for corruption.
107
Thank you! Exactly right. (What I tried to state with too many words ... you accomplished with laudable linguistic economy.)
1
To paraphrase his boss, “Lock him up.” Before he steals more money from working class taxpayers to become a millionaire.
41
" A clear sense of entitlement” has always been a way of life during Republican Administrations at the EPA, even from it's early days. Few remember the damage inflicted by James Watt on the Nation during his reign of terror as the first Administrator during the Reagan term. As a prototype to today's Pruitt, Watt did his level best to discourage morale within the Department, stop legal actions taken against the Country's polluters, reducing if not waiving entirely penalties ruled against companies like Mobil, Exxon, Monsanto and Union Carbide.
Furthering the abuse delivered to the American Public and the Environment, the Administrator nominated by Reagan and given the position after Watt was forced to resign in dishonor was one Anne Gorsuch who continued his policies of land and water based destruction and using the Department as a personal asset.
To show the deep seated corruption based in most if not all things Republican, the name "Gorsuch" may sound familiar. Our current President paid off some of his political debt incurred during the campaign and in requiring the GOP Establishment to "hold their noses and vote" for him by the nomination Anne's little boy Neil to the empty seat in the Supreme Court (you recall- the one Mitch McConnell refused to allow a sitting US President to fill because there was only 2 1/2 years left on his term).
The corruption displayed by Pruitt is only a springboard to many larger and grander abuses of the American Dream and Justice yet to come.
43
I'm hoping that the next edition of Webster's Dictionary includes a photo of Scott Pruitt next to its entry defining "grifter".
Lock him up!
26
And "Grifter Don"
4
Just look at his face! The cat that ate the canary.
11
Remarkable resemblance to Tom Price who at least had the good sense to get out of town while he could.
3
Swampin' in the Superfund site of Trump flunkies.
Heckuva job.
18
Pruitt is as shady as they come. No wonder Trump thinks he’s doing a “great job”. He should be in prison.
57
its disgusting. if you live in texas vote for beto. there is no stopping any of them any other way. they have no shame. so. lets just lock them all up..... in the new episodes coming this december..
as an aside, i calll my texas senator cornyn daily about this or that horror. and all his staff does is lie. if your senators lie to you via their staff they are still lying to you. in an episode next year we should ask them all to sign a pledge saying they wont lie. but first we have to shrink the majority down to a size that can go down the drain of a tub.
25
Pruitt is hopelessly corrupt but Trump does not care at all. If Trump condemned Pruitt he would in essence be repudiating himself. These people are kleptocrats. Pruitt is a wannabe oligarch. He would last all of about five minutes in Russia. Pathetic.
37
Scott, you must be so proud of yourself. You finally have your little tacky McMansion in Oklahoma, free ball tickets and a secure booth to talk to all of your energy industry donors, thanks to us, the taxpayers. You’ve climbed the mountain Scott. Problem is, it’s a toxic pile of trash you sit on. FIRE HIM.
116
He certainly has carved out the life of a bon vivant while in office. Every time I read about him I feel the urgent need for a hot shower. What a despicable shameless man.
20
Wish I could say that I am surprised but not so much. Grifters grift.
13
Scott Pruitt is one creepy dude, there is no other way to put it.
Pruitt reminds me of Judge Moore in Alabama, but I bet Pruitt has a lot more skeletons in his closet.
27
He reminds me of the Flukeman --from an X-Files episode, The Host, A truly vile creature, a man turned into a sewer dwelling super-parasite....
Get rid of this swamp dweller. Today.
14
Turning the swamp into a sewer.
18
If delusion were a power source, we could say goodbye to the Middle East just by connecting to the Trump Administration's appointees.
8
A sense of entitlement is nothing new. It's part of what used to be called Potomac Fever. There was a cabinet official whose official car had fewer antennae than the the car of the secretary and had that changed. There was the cabinet official who wanted a press setup just like that at the White House and got it. There was a cabinet official who kept on the payroll a person dedicated to maintaining a record of that official's press clippings. A sense of entitlement goes with the territory. even at lower levels.
3
Is your point that "everybody does it?" Everyone is not corrupt, although you cite some egregious cases. Not only is Pruitt a Prima Donna but he is dismantling environmental protections. Trump and others say these are too intrusive and expensive. The cost of dirtier air, water and land is never mentioned, nor are the health effects of pollution. This is the real outrage.
33
If any Democrat was caught selling out his position in the White House, there would already be numerous investigations into this.
For years the Republicans promised us that if only those nasty Democrats were gone, they would have the freedom to do things to this country to make it into the world the Republicans believe is great.
And now THIS is what we have. Unrestrained greed, criminality and selling out. Separating the youngest children from their parents and putting them in what are basically child prisons.
This is Republican's ideal America, folks.
18
There are already numerous investigations into this squalid abuse of power by Pruitt but Trumpty-Dumpty won't fire him. The question is, can Congress remove him? If they have the legal ability, do they have the backbone? Trump stands behind this self-serving pollution promoter probably because they think alike: free rein for them and theirs, ignore everyone else.
3
"Senior staff members at the Environmental Protection Agency frequently felt pressured by Scott Pruitt....to help in personal matters and obtain special favors for his family".
Why do you use past tense?
14
Agree. The use of the past tense at the start of this article gave me a momentary hope that he had been forced out and I had just missed that headline. Sadly, that was not the case.
5
As long as Pruitt has friends in Congress and the Oval Office, he will continue his behavior. While he should have to pay for his own personal expenses, like first class air travel, how can he do it on his small salary. We need to have more empathy for Pruitt, as he is obviously out of his league and has no shame either.
But just as a small reminder, Pruitt is not the first nor will he be the last, to take advantage of his position.
It almost goes with the territory. And it is an entitlement attitude that is not just his, but just part of the DNA of this Administration and the Congress.
And it has shown up in other Administrations as well. Bill Clinton comes to mind, as does Dick Cheney.
5
Jean, Are you saying it's okay with you then? What-about-ism won't help our environment or the National Treasury. I say let's apply a what-about-now standard to Pruitt. He is corrupt and his misdeeds stand on their own as illegal and immoral.
10
"Pruitt is not the first nor will he be the last, to take advantage of his position." - comment by Jean. Yes, there's been corruption in political office before. But how does that excuse the grifting of this little man? ALL political corruption must be exposed and stopped. The fact that a crime has occurred before should not be a mitigating factor.
3
My comments are meant to be sarcastic. I think this is one of the most immoral Administrations that ever came down the pike.
The next big project for the EPA is to work on mitigating the fetid stench rising from the swamp of this administration. It will likely be difficult to get the Republican Congress to allocate funds for this.
6
then his staff should be prosecuted too.
4
So 18 months of continuous malfeasance on the part of Pruitt is not enough for his dear friend, Rep. Inhofe (R) to tell him he's "not doing his job". When is it going to be time to do your sworn duty, Mr. Inhofe? It is clear that this man has violated any and all norms and regulations in his performance of his job.
40
But really, using your secretary to do your personal chores is "normal" - if you Make America Great Again by going back to the 1950's, when white men ruled. As to the graft, what do you expect from someone who makes a mere $180K per year? Ask the federal workers in DC who haven't had a raise in years and are now having their pension benefits and unions stripped from them. If the salary wasn't enough for Pruitt to live on, he shouldn't have taken the job. But I forget - the perks!
7
I used to work for a busy, successful doctor in private practice. Besides assisting with patients, billing, scheduling, ordering supplies and typing reports, he also had me caring for his and his family's personal bank accounts and keeping track of his investments on the stock market. The difference is, and it's a big one, HE was paying me. Assigning me duties not related to his medical practice was not illegal and would be legal today. Pruitt's use of taxpayer-paid staff as his personal assistants is not only wasteful, it is illegal.
5
A recent Harvard study declared that 80,000 additional Americans will die each decade if changes now proposed by the EPA are put into effect - and this is "an extremely conservative estimate."
So, in addition to already being a self-serving traitor, Mr. Pruitt will soon be a mass murderer.
To all honorable Republicans we say: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
11
Pruitt's inappropriate use of the people's money is amazing. is there anyway he can be removed from office other than being fired by Trump? has the IRS checked to see if he has paid the appropriate taxes on his freebies?
19
Wow, if Inhofe said that then we must really be at the bottom of the barrel! Just as puzzling is how one supports 54k in annual debt service on a salary of 133k.
25
Follow the money. I repeat, follow the money.
5
So, he can safely discuss a super site clean up project with the governor of Oklahoma at a crowded baseball game, but needs a special, $40,000 phone booth in his office in a secured government building? Really?
21
The worst of a really bad bunch.
9
I truly am beyond disgusted.
12
Kevin Chmielewski thank you for standing up to Mr. Pruitt. More and more of your colleagues should do that. They are not being paid by Mr. Pruitt but by the American people. E.P.A is not Mr. Pruitt's company. They have to stop being afraid and do what it is right. That lady, the spokesperson of Mr. Pruitt, should think about it and quit. She is getting more and more deep in the swamp. How can you deny all these things when there is actual proof of it? She is worst than Sarah Sanders. These ladies are an embarrassment to the rest of us.
Mr. Pruitt and family: you are an embarrassment as well. I hope his daughter enjoyed the internship cause your name is going to be in the books and nobody will forget. You might have "won" a prestigious internship, but you lost yourself for it.
13
It is the right thing to do to leave the EPA under Pruitt, however, most people have financial responsibilities. The person who should go is Pruitt, not these people who are probably civil servants who need their jobs.
6
The irony of the accompanying photo with "Honorable" on the nameplate is palpable. If only it was a true description of Pruitt's scandalous, self-dealing approach to public service.
I'm sure his boss will choose to overlook that otherwise disqualifying title when he appoints him Attorney General.
8
You can't spell Petty Rapacious Unprincipled Indecent Tone-deaf Toady without PRUITT.
57
garggh. what a disgusting individual. Add him to the short list (that Ken Starr is #1 on for many years) of humans I will be tempted to spit on when I see them.
80
Pruitt's conduct is nothing short of the profiteering that Trump seems to encourage his own family members to engage in.
167
This man is an immoral criminal. Perfect for this administration!
127
Is your fixation on the personal stuff a proxy for a serious discussion of environmental policy, because you figure no one cares about the latter though they should?
9
You appear to have missed the fact they the two are connected.
48
Guess what Pruitt's real job is to dismantle the EPA and while at it enrich himself. A pure Trump appointee
2
It's not "personal stuff" when Pruitt uses his office for his own gain. Then it's the public's business.
23
How much detritus can a swamp absorb...
40
enough to fill the two towers !!! (trump tower and 666)
tolkein was an excellent forshadower.
8
This is what rule by oligarchy looks like. We The People either acquiesce — or we demand better. November will signal which direction we’re going.
193
The saga of Scott Pruitt would be darkly comical if it didn’t have such potentially deadly consequences.
Prior to the Trump administration, the EPA understood the facts that clean air and clean water are essential for human beings to live full and productive lives.
But for Trump, facts don’t matter, and crimes don’t matter if they are committed by a person who doggedly and shamelessly guts the core of the EPA’s mission for nakedly partisan political ends, and if they serve the President’s industry cronies.
This Is a deadly serious matter.
221
How long is this going to last? I thought the condo and first class flights were a low bar and now we discover he's making aides find him lotion and an internship for his daughter. I can't read about Scott Pruitt's graft and greed anymore. If he's not fired and forced to repay the American Government for the money he wasted on lavish, useless expenses, then there really is no hope. That Trump has praised him and ignored his graft is despicable, but I guess Pruitt figures if Trump can get away with it, then so can he. That's just his personal greed, but he's also cancelled all kinds of regulations, and just nullified Obama's Clean Water Act. He's destroying America, using his office to enrich himself yet getting praise from Trump. Have they no shame??
207
yes, they have no shame.
6
Correct, Anne. They have no shame.
Most of us would be satisfied if they just had some accountability.
5
no,they do not.
3
I detest Pruitt as much as the next reader, but as a retired federal employee who worked closely with political appointees of both parties, his use of his staff as personal errand runners and worse is not unusual. I have personally witnessed such requests. And at times, especially as a mid-level female employee, I was asked to do things like move cars and pick-up dry-cleaning. I fumed at such requests not simply because they were menial favors, but especially because they made me miss meetings important to my real policy work.
Clearly, political appointees, especially those from the private sector (especially big law firms) need to take ethics courses— repeatedly. We are not hired to be personal maids, butlers, drivers, apartment finders, dog walkers, babysitters or child minders. If you need a personal asssistant, hire someone with your own money (and be sure to pay social security and other costs).
Finally, should any of these former officials be considered for future federal jobs, I will be happy to sign an affidavit attesting to their behavior. Pruitt isn’t the first official to engage in pettty corruption, but he should be one of the last.
87
I don't doubt any of your statements. I do however think we are all appalled at his absolute attitude of self elitism, his absolute feeling of whatever I want is mine. Sound like anyone he knows? But calling his actions petty is very sadly wrong.
1
Scandal after scandal after scandal. In ANY other administration, this guy would have been out months ago. Yet Pruitt keeps on truckin'... continuing to defraud American taxpayers, hobnob with polluters, derail environmental regulations, build fortresses of solitude, and compel public employees to do his personal errands.
Lucky for Pruitt that he has the undying admiration of polluters like the billionaire Koch brothers, who no doubt have everything to do with the man's continuing employment.
I am so glad Trump, et al. are draining that swamp!
38
What a horrible combination of factors: a professional man of comparatively modest means yearning for the status and cache of wealthier co-workers working in an environment that is rife for leverage and favors. What could possibly go wrong?
Mr. Pruitt strikes me as rather sad and pathetic. He clearly wants to be part of the “elite” crowd, but has been unable to secure that status he so craves. It’s clear the more wealthy cabinet members look down on him. He seems to overcompensate by doing the bidding of the wealthy crowd, hoping for some acceptance. It unfortunately doesn’t serve the public or environment well.
19