Dem lawmaker urges Trump to fire Pruitt

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) urged President Trump on Saturday to dismiss Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt amid questions over the administrator’s living arrangements during his first months in Washington.

“Dear @realDonaldTrump: Republicans who don’t believe in climate change & want to dismantle environmental protections are a dime a dozen,” Lieu tweeted. “You don’t need @EPAScottPruitt, who spent taxpayer dollars on 1st class travel, violated ethics laws & is deeply paranoid. You should fire him.”

Dear @realDonaldTrump: Republicans who don’t believe in climate change & want to dismantle environmental protections are a dime a dozen. You don’t need @EPAScottPruitt, who spent taxpayer dollars on 1st class travel, violated ethics laws & is deeply paranoid. You should fire him. https://t.co/iS6JdWfmR2

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 31, 2018

{mosads}

Pruitt has previously faced scrutiny for his use of taxpayer-funded first-class flights and for staying at high-end hotels. 

But the latest controversy surrounding Pruitt hinges on his rental of a bedroom in a condo co-owned by the wife an influential energy lobbyist who represents clients in industries regulated by the EPA.

Bloomberg News reported Friday that Pruitt paid $50 a night to rent the room, but only on nights he slept there. Pruitt’s living arrangements for his first six months in D.C. were not reviewed by EPA ethics officials in advance.

ABC News also reported on Friday that Pruitt’s daughter stayed in a second bedroom in the condo last summer while she was interning at the White House. That report challenged previous reports that Pruitt had lived in the townhouse alone and that the second bedroom had been unoccupied while he rented the space.

The EPA’s top ethics official said Friday that Pruitt’s lease of the Capitol Hill condo aligned with ethics rules.