Conservative senators on Thursday raced to defend embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who is being scrutinized by the White House for arranging a controversial condo rental agreement with the wife of an energy lobbyist.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., credited Pruitt for his conservative credentials, and his efforts at unwinding environmental regulations imposed by prior administrations.
“.@EPAScottPruitt is likely the bravest and most conservative member of Trump’s Cabinet. We need him to help @realDonaldTrump drain the regulatory swamp,” Paul said on Twitter.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also gave support to Pruitt Thursday, and blamed media coverage for Pruitt’s problems.
“Why do Obama and his media cronies want so badly to drive @EPAScottPruitt out of office? @realDonaldTrump is too cagey to be duped and bullied by the Obama groupies,” Cruz wrote on Twitter.
Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Okla., a longtime Pruitt supporter from his home state, is also standing by him.
“Administrator Pruitt has been instrumental in carrying out President Trump’s deregulatory agenda at the EPA,” Inhofe said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to work with him to restore the EPA to its proper size and scope.”
The calls of support from GOP senators come after two House Republicans, Reps. Carlos Curbelo and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, recently asked Pruitt to resign.
From late February to early August in 2017, Pruitt paid $50 a night for a single bedroom in a condo on Capitol Hill co-owned by the wife of an energy lobbyist. He was only charged for nights he stayed there.
The White House is reviewing Pruitt’s condo deal and is taking the issue “seriously,” press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday.
Asked if President Trump is OK with the deal, Sanders said: “The president is not. We are reviewing the situation here at the White House. When we have a chance to have a deeper dive, we will let you know.”
Sanders did say Trump is content with Pruitt’s job performance.
“The president thinks he has done a good job particularly on the deregulation front, but we take this seriously and are reviewing it.”
Hogan Gidley, the White House deputy press secretary, was less committal about Pruitt’s future Thursday morning.
“I can’t speak to the future of Scott Pruitt,” Gidley said on Fox News.
The EPA’s inspector general, meanwhile, confirmed Thursday it is probing the condo deal. The inspector general is already investigating Pruitt for his use of first-class and military flights and his frequent travel to his home state of Oklahoma.
