President Donald Trump announced in a tweet on Thursday that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt was resigning. In his resignation letter, Pruitt cited the “unrelenting attacks” on him and his family, which he admitted have “taken a sizable toll.”
Pruitt also praised Trump throughout the letter. “My desire in service to you has always been to bless you as you make important decisions for the American people,” he wrote. “I believe you are serving as President today because of God’s providence. I believe that same providence brought me into your service. I pray as I have served you that I have blessed you and enabled you to effectively lead the American people.”
In his tweet, Trump returned the praise, adding that he’ll “always be thankful” for Pruitt’s work at the EPA.
I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this. The Senate confirmed Deputy at EPA, Andrew Wheeler, will…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2018
Others weren’t as pleased with Pruitt’s months-long stint as administrator. According to CNN, he’s been “embroiled in one ethics controversy after the next,” — the most recent being that he allegedly “held regular meetings to ‘scrub,’ alter or remove controversial events from his calendar.” This prompted two Democratic congressman to call for an investigation into whether Pruitt committed a federal crime.
Pruitt was already facing a number of inquiries or reviews while at the EPA, mostly having to do with his practices — including taxpayer-funded first-class plane travel, a room rented from a lobbyist, and the installation of a $43,000 soundproof booth in his office.
According to The Washington Post, Pruitt was also the subject of reports alleging he “repeatedly enlisted subordinates to help him search for housing, book personal travel and even help search for a six-figure job for his wife.”
For now, Pruitt’s top deputy Andrew Wheeler will take control of the EPA.