EPA administrator Scott Pruitt resigned Thursday following months of controversy over the ethics of his conduct on the job.
President Trump announced that he had accepted Pruitt’s resignation, adding that the Oklahoman did an “outstanding job” at the EPA
…on Monday assume duties as the acting Administrator of the EPA. I have no doubt that Andy will continue on with our great and lasting EPA agenda. We have made tremendous progress and the future of the EPA is very bright!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2018
Pruitt’s scandals drifted in and out of the news this year, beginning with a report that he rented a room for a low rate using his connection to a wealthy energy lobbyist. He was also criticized for excessive spending, taking business trips to Italy and Morocco, giving his staff excessive raises, and allegedly promoting a toxic work environment at the agency. He maintained that he had done nothing unethical as the EPA’s inspector general, General Accountability Office, and House Oversight Committee looked into the allegations. After news of Pruitt’s resignation broke, the agency IG made clear that those investigations would continue.
“Any ongoing or pending OIG reviews related to the Administrator and/or his team will continue—regardless of the Administrator’s resignation,” a spokesman for the agency’s inspector general told CNN.