There’s something rotten at the Environmental Protection Agency, and it’s not wastewater leaking into the ocean.
EPA head Scott Pruitt has once again become besieged by scandal. And while many of the charges brought against Pruitt have been overblown, there’s no denying that this one is a definite display of corruption.
The Washington Post reports that Pruitt tried to use his position of influence to get his wife a job within the conservative advocacy industry. From the report: “Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt last year had a top aide help contact Republican donors who might offer his wife a job, eventually securing her a position at a conservative political group that has backed him for years, according to multiple individuals familiar with the matter.”
Pruitt and crew asked donor Doug Deason to employ his wife. The donor said he couldn’t because of his business in front of EPA but spent months trying to help her. Wife ended up getting job at conservative judicial group after Leonard Leo helped. https://t.co/7MClRCzPj8
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) June 13, 2018
Pruitt’s wife, Marlyn, eventually found work at the Judicial Crisis Center. The organization has confirmed that it hired her, but only “temporarily as an independent contractor.”
There’s nothing wrong with a political organization hiring the spouse of a federal official. What’s unseemly about this whole thing is that Pruitt used his position as a Cabinet member to get his wife the job. That’s called taking advantage of your position. (RELATED: REPORT: White House Investigating Scott Pruitt For Getting Kickbacks From A Lobbyist).
What’s worse is that this isn’t the first time Pruitt has been busted for abusing his power. He’s used his authority to inquire about a job with Chick-fil-A, had employees perform personal tasks like the search for a used Trump hotel mattress, and ingratiated himself with industry leaders. It’s so bad that Republican Senator Jodi Ernst has called on Pruitt to go, saying he’s “about as swampy as you get here in Washington, D.C. And if the president wants to drain the swamp, he needs to take a look at his own Cabinet.”
And she’s not the only one. Fox News host Laura Ingraham has had enough and is calling for Pruitt to go:
PRUITT BAD JUDGMENT HURTING @POTUS, GOTTA GO: Pruitt had aide, GOP donors help wife find job: report https://t.co/p7dhOK58Sh
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) June 13, 2018
You know what they say: When you’ve lost Laura Ingraham, you’ve lost the country. President Trump should heed her words. There are plenty of good conservative EPA administrators out there. Trump should pick a different one.
