President Trump delivered a ringing endorsement of EPA administrator Scott Pruitt on Twitter Saturday, in the wake of damaging media coverage alleging the administration head’s misuse of taxpayer dollars.
“While Security spending was somewhat more than his predecessor, Scott Pruitt has received death threats because of his bold actions at EPA,” Trump wrote. “Record clean Air & Water while saving USA Billions of Dollars. Rent was about market rate, travel expenses OK. Scott is doing a great job!”
While Security spending was somewhat more than his predecessor, Scott Pruitt has received death threats because of his bold actions at EPA. Record clean Air & Water while saving USA Billions of Dollars. Rent was about market rate, travel expenses OK. Scott is doing a great job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2018
Pruitt has come under fire of late for a bevy of scandals involving his living arrangements while in Washington, D.C., expensive flights, and an unusually large security detail.
In the tweet, Trump explained the large security detail by the “death threats” Pruitt has received because of his “bold actions at EPA.” Under Pruitt’s tenure, the EPA nixed the Clean Power Plan, and eased greenhouse gas emission and mileage standards for future vehicles built, in addition to the U.S. leaving the Paris climate agreements.
On Friday, the president tweeted that his EPA director was “doing a great job but is TOTALLY under siege”
Do you believe that the Fake News Media is pushing hard on a story that I am going to replace A.G. Jeff Sessions with EPA Chief Scott Pruitt, who is doing a great job but is TOTALLY under siege? Do people really believe this stuff? So much of the media is dishonest and corrupt!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 6, 2018
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal editorial board issued a strong endorsement of Pruitt as well, calling him Trump’s most “consequential cabinet official.”
“Mr. Pruitt’s real sin is that he is one of Mr. Trump’s most aggressive reformers, taking on green idols that others would bow before,” the board wrote in an article urging Trump to keep Pruitt. “If there has been a more consequential cabinet official, we haven’t seen him.”