Head of US environment agency Scott Pruitt quits amidst ethics scandals
Washington: US President Donald Trump’s top environmental aide Scott Pruitt has resigned, months after he was embroiled in a series of ethics controversies over his spending habits and misuse of office.Pruitt left the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) having faced more than a dozen inquiries or reviews into his practices, including his first-class plane travel, a room that he rented from a lobbyist at USD 50 per night and the installation of a soundproof booth in his office.President Trump first tweeted the news on Thursday that Pruitt had resigned.“I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,” Trump tweeted. “Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this.”A staunch conservative, Pruitt, 50, has backed Trump over his controversial decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord.Trump also said that Pruitt’s recently Senate-confirmed deputy Andrew Wheeler would on Monday assume the duties of acting administrator of the EPA.Pruitt has been under scrutiny for renting an apartment with ties to a fossil fuels lobbyist.He is also accused of bypassing the White House to secure big pay rises for two long-time staff members.
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