| | | | 4 theories on why it took so long for Donald Trump
to get rid of Scott Pruitt | | When Scott Pruitt "resigned" as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, only one relevant question jumped to mind: What the hell took so long?
After all, Pruitt is -- or, maybe was -- the subject of 14 separate probes into his conduct as EPA administrator. Fourteen! Separate! Probes! From almost the moment he was sworn in to lead the EPA, Pruitt has been caught -- time and time again -- apparently trying to enrich himself (and his wife and everyone else he knows) using his office. And yet, day after day, terrible headline after terrible headline (after terrible headline), Pruitt stayed in the job. Here are four theories aimed at answering the "what took so long?" question.
1. Pruitt did exactly what Trump wanted. Trump campaigned on the idea that the EPA has turned into liberals' dream of overregulation of average people. He picked Pruitt to undo many of the regulations the Obama administration had put in place on things like coal and water. According to an analysis by Politico of Pruitt's first year in office, the EPA either withdrew or delayed regulations 47 times -- a massive increase from the 14 withdrawals/delays in the first year of the Obama administration. Pruitt was effectively deconstructing the regulatory state.
2. Trump saw some of himself in Pruitt. Pruitt is brash and unapologetic about his views and his conduct. And in both Oklahoma and Washington, that willingness to speak his mind made establishment types very nervous. And once Pruitt was in Washington, he was the focus of a seemingly endless stream of negative news coverage, which he insisted was false and driven by liberals who wanted him to fail. Sound like anyone else you know?
3. There were so many problems, they canceled themselves out. There are so many problems, so many ethical issues, so many bad stories that they all sort of cancel each other out. As in: No one could follow all of the various transgressions committed by Pruitt. The sheer number of allegations may well have led Trump to sort of tune them out -- under the belief that they couldn't all be true.
4. Trump is a contrarian -- in this and all things. When the news of Pruitt's "resignation" hit the White House, there was reportedly cheering from some of the staff. For months, Trump had been urged to get rid of Pruitt by virtually everyone on his senior staff. Trump views himself as at his best when he is going against the crowd, bucking the conventional wisdom. If everyone is saying "X," Trump is naturally drawn to "Y" -- even if, in a vacuum, he would choose "X."
Even when he spoke about Pruitt Thursday afternoon aboard Air Force One, Trump was unwilling to criticize the former EPA head. "He'll go on to great things and he's going to have a wonderful life, I hope," Trump said of Pruitt. "But he felt that he did not want to be a distraction for an administration that he has a lot of faith in."
That Pruitt is gone is not at all remarkable. That he stayed for so long really is. Read my full take here.
-- Chris | | A VERY LONG LIST OF PRUITT'S CONTROVERSIES | | Need to refresh your memory on how many controversies now-ousted EPA head Scott Pruitt was dealing with before he stepped down? CNN's Eli Watkins and Clare Foran have been keeping tabs of the long list. There are currently 14 probes into Pruitt. Here are some of the controversies and allegations Pruitt has become embroiled in during his time in the administration: - The EPA inspector general is probing Pruitt's travel practices. The review began following reports Pruitt would frequently travel home to Oklahoma on the taxpayers' dime. The IG twice expanded the probe, first as the agency acknowledged Pruitt used both a private plane and military jet to travel four times instead of flying commercial -- at a price of $60,000 -- and again to include all of Pruitt's travel from 2017.
- The Washington Post reported in early June that Pruitt had enlisted his security detail to run a series of personal errands, including driving him around to find a lotion from Ritz-Carlton hotels. The Daily Beast, citing four sources, said Pruitt sent out staff regularly to pick up snacks for him.
- Pruitt lived for about six months in a Capitol Hill condo owned by a health care lobbyist whose husband has lobbied EPA, and paid below the market rate, according to reports by ABC News and Bloomberg. A former deputy chief of staff told congressional investigators the energy lobbyist, J. Steven Hart, called Pruitt's chief of staff to complain that Pruitt was behind on rent, and a separate source told CNN the couple eventually evicted Pruitt by changing the condo lock code. CNN has reported that White House officials are exasperated by the housing controversy.
- A family friend of the lobbyists Pruitt rented a room from was considered for a position with the EPA, according to emails between Pruitt's chief of staff and lobbyist J. Steven Hart.
Read the full list here. | | "IF (big) he seeks re-election, I will run, but only if I think that there is no other candidate in the race that has a REAL chance at beating him. We can't relive 2016. I love this country, our values and our people too much to sit by while they are destroyed. #FightClub #Basta"
-- Michael Avenatti, lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels, tweeted about Trump on Wednesday. Read Chris' analysis on Avenatti's 2020 hopes here. | | | JUSTICE INTERVIEWS: COMPLETE | | The shuffle to replace exiting Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy continues at the White House.
Per CNN's Jeff Zeleny: "President Donald Trump has completed his scheduled interviews for the Supreme Court vacancy, an official familiar with the search says. The President met with at least seven contenders this week and is believed to have narrowed his list of potential candidates to two or three. Sources told CNN that candidates under consideration for the job have included: Judges Brett Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge, Amy Coney Barrett, and Amul Thapar, Joan Larsen and Thomas Hardiman." Read more here.
In other POTUS news: Trump headed to Montana Thursday "in an effort to torpedo the re-election campaign of Sen. Jon Tester, the Montana Democrat placed a full-page ad in 14 of the state's newspapers touting the 16 bills he supported that the President has signed," CNN's Maeve Reston reported. | | | Tom Misch's "It Runs Through Me" (feat. De La Soul). | | IMMIGRATION CRISIS CONTINUES | | CNN's Sonia Moghe, Nick Valencia and Holly Yan reported Thursday: "DNA tests are being performed on children and parents to try to reunite migrant families who were separated at the US border, a federal official with knowledge of the reunifications told CNN. The source could not discuss how long the practice has been taking place, if the testing requires consent or if the DNA is stored in a database." Read more here.
The story is just the latest in a slew of stories related to the immigration crisis. Chris points out the story will not go anywhere anytime soon. He writes: "There are still more than 2,000 children still separated from their parents. We think. Why don't we know the exact number? Because the US government continues to refuse to release any sorts of figures on how many children have been reunited with their parents. How is President Donald Trump dealing with that crisis? By tweeting, of course." | | YES, THIS 'TRUMP BABY' BALLOON IS REALLY A THING | | President Donald Trump's upcoming trip across the pond just got a little more weird.
On Thursday, London Mayor Sadiq Khan approved a proposal that called for flying a "Trump Baby" balloon close to the UK Parliament during Trump's visit to London next week. From CNN's report:
"The request for the balloon to fly was approved by Khan after over 10,000 people signed a petition and a thousand people contributed £16,000 (approximately $21,152.83 USD) to a crowdfunding campaign. The balloon will fly for two hours on the morning of Friday, July 13, at the same time as the 'Stop Trump' march in central London." | | BLACK FEMALE LEADERS RALLY BEHIND REP. WATERS | | CNN's Ashley Killough reported Thursday: "Nearly 200 black female leaders and allies outside of Congress have signed a letter calling on top congressional Democrats to defend Rep. Maxine Waters after she was criticized by members of her own party for urging people to protest President Donald Trump's Cabinet members in public spaces. The group includes a mix of local elected officials, religious leaders, academics, activists and political consultants -- including Tamika Mallory, co-president of the Women's March -- who felt Waters was unfairly treated and want Democratic leaders in Congress to apologize."
The letter was addressed to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California.
A key line: "We write to share our profound indignation and deep disappointment over your recent failure to protect Congresswoman Waters from unwarranted attacks from the Trump Administration and others in the GOP."
Read more in CNN's story here. | | | From Brenna: "President Trump waved goodbye to the DC area earlier today before heading off to Montana for a rally. Before jetting off for a long weekend of your own, take one minute out and tell your friends to subscribe to The Point." | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba.
Sign up to get updates on your favorite CNN Original Series, special CNN news coverage and other newsletters. | | | | | | |
Post a Comment