House

Lieu: Trump shouldn’t fire Pruitt because he’s a ‘great symbol’ of corruption

A Democratic congressman has reversed his call for President Trump to fire Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt, now saying that Pruitt is a “great symbol” of the Trump administration’s corruption and therefore a boon for Democrats.

In a tweet, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) called on Trump to not only keep Pruitt on staff at the EPA, but to start bringing the embattled administrator to the president’s “toxic” campaign rallies.

“Dear @realDonaldTrump: Dem wave continues to get stronger. So now I’m thinking, please don’t fire @EPAScottPruitt. He’s such a great symbol of the corruption and fraud, waste & abuse in your Administration,” Lieu tweeted.

“Can you please do more toxic rallies & bring Pruitt with you? Thanks,” he added.

{mosads}The tweet came after dozens of House Democrats on Friday to call for Pruitt’s resignation over a growing number of scandals, including claims that Pruitt gave large raises to longtime aides against the wishes of the White House and spent millions on his own security detail.

Last week, Lieu became one of the first Democrats to demand Pruitt’s firing, accusing him of violating ethics laws.

“Dear @realDonaldTrump: Republicans who don’t believe in climate change & want to dismantle environmental protections are a dime a dozen,” Lieu tweeted previously. “You don’t need @EPAScottPruitt, who spent taxpayer dollars on 1st class travel, violated ethics laws & is deeply paranoid. You should fire him.”

Trump met with Pruitt on Friday amid the growing calls for his resignation, but defended the EPA chief in tweets this week saying that he was “doing a great job” despite being “TOTALLY under siege.”

Tags Democratic Party Donald Trump EPA House Scott Pruitt Trump administration

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