EPA chief Scott Pruitt resigns

Scott Pruitt, the administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has appealed to United States President Donald Trump to fire the incumbent Attorney General, Jeff Sessions so that he could run for the position.

Last week, The EPA’s chief ethics official said he was pushing for a series of independent investigations into Pruitt’s actions as administrator.

Pruitt faces a barrage of ethics complaints and federal inquiries.

Pruitt has been buffeted by numerous revelations about extravagant spending, including $1,560 for a dozen fountain pens, $3,000 on “tactical pants” and “tactical polos”, $43,000 on a soundproof phone booth for his office and $120,000 on a trip to Italy.

Trump announced Pruitt’s resignation on Twitter Thursday afternoon following weeks of negative media attention focused on the EPA head.

Trump said in early June that Pruitt was “doing a great job within the walls of the EPA”, while acknowledging his EPA chief’s mounting controversies. One of Pruitt’s schedulers reportedly paid for a $600 hotel reservation, former deputy chief of staff Kevin Chmielewski said.

Wheeler, a former Senate staffer and EPA employee who spent the past decade representing coal, mining and other energy companies, will take the helm of the agency on Monday, Trump tweeted.

Until now, the president has stood by his zealous lieutenant, praising his work to roll back Obama-era environmental regulations that Mr Trump says hinder economic growth.

Like Trump, Pruitt voiced skepticism about mainstream climate science and was a fierce critic of the Paris climate agreement.

Separately, South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, the Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, has asked EPA to justify Pruitt’s use of first or business class seats on flights. 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.

Several reviews have to do with Pruitt’s use of email.

She said Mr. Pruitt and his lunch partner left after the confrontation.

“Facts are facts, fiction is fiction and a lie doesn’t become true just because it appears on the front page of the newspaper”, Pruitt said.

According to The Washington Post, Pruitt pushed to find his wife a well-paying job with a politically connected group. He made swamp creatures blush with his shameless excesses.