SECONDNEXUS
percolately
georgetakei
comicsands
George's Readsjoni earnst
Top stories
Republican Senator Just Called Out Donald Trump For Failing to Drain the Swamp Within His Own Cabinet
Could the tide be turning?
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) tore into embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on Tuesday and called out Donald Trump for not doing enough to drain the swamp within his own cabinet.
Speaking to attendees of the Platts Energy Podium in Washington, Ernst said of Pruitt:
“He is 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."
Ernst also criticized Pruitt's handling of President Donald Trump's promise to support ethanol production in her home state of Iowa.
“Mr. Pruitt is breaking our president’s promises to farmers,” Ernst said. And offered this suggestion to Pruitt:
"it’s time for you to go, but that is up to the president.”
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst on Scott Pruitt: "About as swampy as you get." https://t.co/BulJOIUTwF— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin) 1528216208.0
Ernst added that “going against the campaign promises that are made" isn't sustainable, and that she doesn't "know how long that relationship can last.”
This comes on the same day as a whole new revelation about Pruitt's swampy behavior:
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt wanted his wife to have a Chick-Fil-A franchise. So he got a senior EPA aide to call… https://t.co/rDk8JYfIDc— Josh Dawsey (@Josh Dawsey) 1528218716.0
Prior to today's Pruitt disclosure, GOP Senator Joni Ernst admitted that Pruitt "is about as swampy as you get here… https://t.co/NMngnj67aF— Chris Lu (@Chris Lu) 1528223353.0
Ernst's remarks are a reminder that despite his campaign promises to "drain the swamp" and "hire the best people," Trump's presidency has been plagued by ethics scandals, resulting in the firing or resignations of dozens of cabinet members and other high-ranking officials within the Executive Branch.
@kylegriffin1 How has this guy not been FIRED already? What a joke!— Yvette J R 🍑🆘 (@Yvette J R 🍑🆘) 1528216911.0
@kylegriffin1 Despite his deciet lies & corruption this crook still is part of this administration, unbelievable— Iqbal Waheed (@Iqbal Waheed) 1528216541.0
Pruitt is the subject of at least ten federal investigations into this tenure at the EPA.
@kylegriffin1 Senator Ernst has more information on Pruitt's swampiness than your average Member of Congress https://t.co/Ly9Wd3112W— Aaron Fritschner (@Aaron Fritschner) 1528217475.0
In April, former EPA Deputy Chief of Staff and former Trump aide Kevin Chmielewski told five congressional Democrats who are currently investigating previous accusations of Pruitt’s abuses of power that Pruitt instructed staffers to make travel arrangements that would allow him to accumulate more frequent flier miles, in addition to staying in expensive hotels and flying on airlines that are not on the government’s approved list.
Chmielewski as fired after he blew the whistle on Pruitt’s spending habits, also told lawmakers that Pruitt made the demands for personal travel to his home state of Oklahoma.
JUST POSTED: New Allegations re Abusive Spending by Pruitt, including demands for luxury hotels, and trips that lit… https://t.co/MgYLEUUmDB— Eric Lipton (@Eric Lipton) 1523548436.0
In addition to his nefarious use of taxpayer money, Pruitt has come under fire amidst reports that he rented a condo owned by Vicki Hart, the health care lobbyist wife of J. Steven Hart, an energy lobbyist, for $50 per night.
That same month, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called on Pruitt to resign, citing his "ethical blindness."
@HillaryWarnedU @kylegriffin1 Yep. https://t.co/SyPDCbyKJx— lewoo #SafeAct #HandMarkedPaperBallots (@lewoo #SafeAct #HandMarkedPaperBallots) 1528216895.0