COLLINS: Pruitt not fit for EPA “on policy grounds alone”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - GOP Senator Susan Collins made clear on CNN sunday that Scott Pruitt must go, saying "On policy grounds alone, I think Scott Pruitt is the wrong person to head the EPA.”

Meanwhile, GOP Senator Lindsey Graham raised his own concerns about Pruitt on the sunday shows, saying “The one thing I can say, if you’re the EPA administrator and two lobbyists change the locks, you’ve got a problem. The bottom line is this doesn’t look good.”

GOP Sen. John Kennedy said Pruitt should “do a full blown press conference,” making clear reference to Pruitt’s pattern of hiding from the mainstream press, particularly when attempting to defend his ongoing series of extraordinary scandals.  

As of now, three House Republicans and counting have called for Pruitt’s resignation. House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy said of Pruitt “I don't have a lot patience for that kind of stuff,” and “I'm not sure he's going to make it that long. It gets worse every time there’s a report in the news.” Gowdy has reportedly begun an investigation into Pruitt’s condo scandal and other shady dealing.

Meanwhile, Amidst an avalanche of Scott Pruitt scandals, the Senate is about to vote on Pruitt’s choice to be #2 at the agency. Mitch McConnell filed cloture on Andrew Wheeler just before leaving town for the Congressional recess, yet Wheeler is besieged by his own record of serving as a paid lobbyist for corporate polluters; the fact he would enter the administration in violation of Trump’s own “ethics” Executive Order; past history of paid industry sponsored junkets; and a campaign finance scandal under which he raised funds for committee members who voted on him months after he was already the presumptive nominee.

In Response, Sierra Club Senior Director of Federal Policy John Coequyt Released the Following Statement:

“Senator Collins is right: Scott Pruitt is unfit to lead the EPA based solely on his dangerous policies, which let corporate polluters cause harm to our families as he attempts to gut life-saving clean air and clean water safeguards. Yet, Pruitt’s disgraceful scandals, misuse of taxpayer funds, and record of taking corrupt favors and marching orders from lobbyists provides clear evidence that any Senator who cares about accountability, ethics, and transparency should demand he be fired immediately

“Meanwhile, the last thing the Senate should do is enable the dangerously corrupt Scott Pruitt any further by rushing through his hand-picked deputy, coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, a person who is paid to advance the exact same policies as Pruitt and who would bring a similar history of scandal and corruption to the EPA.”