Scandal-Plagued EPA Administrator Pruitt Resigns
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
In his official resignation letter, Pruitt told Mr. Trump, "I believe you are serving as President today because of God's providence. I believe that same providence brought me into your service."
He also credited the president's confidence for helping him advance the Trump agenda "beyond what anyone anticipated at the begging of [his] administration."
"Your courage, steadfastness and resolute commitment to get results for the American people, both with regard to improved environmental outcomes as well as historical regulatory reform, is in fact occurring at an unprecedented pace and I thank you for the opportunity to serve you and the American people."
The embattled EPA chief has been the subject of frequent and ongoing scrutiny about possible ethics violations involving official business travel, expenses, and allegations that he sought to use his office to help his wife land a job.
He has denied any wrongdoing but had become a lightning rod for the White House, providing a contradictory picture of the president's "drain the swamp" 2016 campaign pledge.
Pruitt also angered environmentalists for overturning Obama-era regulations. Yet, he maintained the confidence of the president while charges of ethics violations mounted. Even as the critics voiced their concerns, including some Republicans, Mr. Trump often commended Pruitt for a job well done.
While controversy seemed to follow Pruitt's public life, he offered a different picture in an exclusive interview with CBN News last spring. He provided a glimpse into his life in Washington by describing his regular meetings with other Cabinet members at the weekly Cabinet Bible study.
"Look, the camaraderie of my fellow Cabinet members is outstanding," Pruitt told CBN News. "To be encouraged, to pray, to basically – each of us are dealing with large issues – and so to spend time with a friend, a colleague, a person who has a faith focus on how we do our job, whether it's through prayer or through God's Word, and to encourage one another in that regard is so, so important and we have that in our Cabinet and it's such a wonderful thing."
In recent days, reports emerged that he had pitched to Mr. Trump the idea of replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions as the head of the Department of Justice.
The sudden resignation hints at possible pressure to resign. In his letter Pruitt wrote, "It is extremely difficult for me to cease serving you in this role because I count it a blessing to be serving you in any capacity, but also, because of the transformative work that is occurring. However, the unrelenting attacks on me personally, my family, are unprecedented and have taken a sizable toll on all of us."
Meanwhile, on Twitter Thursday, President Trump announced that Andrew Wheeler, who is currently the EPA's deputy administrator, will assume the role of acting administrator for the agency Monday.
