EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is now fielding concerns from the White House for ethical scandals being played out in the media.
But, even as a growing number of Republican House and Senate members call for Pruitt’s resignation, the White House is sending no signals that the EPA boss will be sacked.
Allegations against Pruitt range from flying first class to overdoing security measures to renting a Washington apartment from the wife of an energy lobbyist. His odd Chik-fil-A coup, in which he allegedly pulled strings to obtain a franchise for his wife, played out widely in headlines.
Asked by Newsmax about Pruitt’s status within the administration, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told me, “Certainly we have some areas of concern in some of these allegations but I don't have any personnel announcements at this point.”
Sanders’ “concerns” echo the same response on May 10 to a similar question by her assistant press secretary Raj Shah aboard Air Force One on the way to Elkhart, Ind.
A few weeks before, on April 25, National Public Radio asked White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley about the ethical charges being leveled against Pruitt.
“I can tell you that the president and the White House are aware of these issues and these stories, that they raise some serious concerns, there’s no question about that,” Gidley said. “We’re looking into those questions and concerns as well.”
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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