A spokesman for the White House wouldn’t say Friday if embattled Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt would be fired by midnight.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley was asked about Pruitt’s future in the Trump administration during a CNN interview with Jake Tapper.
Bringing up the latest spending controversies surrounding the EPA administrator, Tapper referred to a new report that said White House chief of staff John Kelly has urged President Trump to fire Pruitt and asked if the EPA administrator could be fired by midnight.
“Look, the president is the one who makes the decisions,” Gidley replied, adding that he read the Wall Street Journal report, but could not confirm it because he didn’t witness any of the calls or meetings with Pruitt.
“I can say we all serve at the pleasure of the president. And as you guys know, and America knows, if the president is displeased, you’ll know it – you’ll know it in a hurry,” Gidley added.
Pruitt has come under fire in recent weeks as his ethics and judgment are being questioned over a series of decisions he reportedly made involving spending, housing and his management style.
Trump on Friday decried what he views as a media “siege” facing the EPA chief and said Pruitt is doing “a great job.”
