Flashback: Donald Trump needs to fire EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, not promote him EPA chief Scott Pruitt is giving Donald Trump a run for his money on ethics scandals. Another president would fire him, not consider promoting him.

Norman Eisen and Conor Shaw | Opinion contributors

Show Caption Hide Caption Pruitt pushes back on condo rental, pay raises EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is denying he knew about big raises given to two of his closest aides and insisting he did nothing wrong in renting a bargain-priced condo tied to an energy lobbyist. (April 5)

Editor's note: This column was originally published on April 6, 2018.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt is mired in a series of scandals so profound that he rivals his ultimate boss, the president. Indeed, it seems he is willing even to defy the White House to reward those involved in his unethical and possibly even illegal acts. He needs to go before he does any more damage.

The news has been dominated this week by revelations about a deluxe condo that Pruitt rented on Capitol Hill for $50 a night from the wife of a lobbyist whose firm has business before the EPA. The condo is a problem because the terms Pruitt enjoyed were far better than the going rate. You can’t find a luxury condo in that neighborhood for $50 a night, particularly if you want a place that’s reserved for your use whenever you need it but you only have to pay for the nights you’re there. Pruitt’s lease likely runs afoul of the federal gift statute and its sharp restrictions on apparent gifts from people with interests before a federal employee’s agency — and family members like the lobbyist's spouse in this case.

Pruitt initially relied on the legal opinion of department ethics lawyers, who reasoned that the lease is market rate. Those lawyers supplemented that analysis with more details about the factual basis for their opinion, including supposedly comparable rentals. But they also made clear that the assessment did not address all potential ethics issues raised by the lease.

More: Stormy Daniels on '60 Minutes' makes Trump's legal problems even worse

More: Stormy Daniels is just one reason Trump couldn't work in his own White House

Those included whether Pruitt had full use of the apartment (not just his room), how Pruitt’s adult daughter used the apartment, and why the agency hadn’t reviewed the arrangement ahead of time. In addition, Pruitt may have violated other ethics rules by having a member of his EPA staff work on finding him personal accommodations. Justina Fugh, one of the officials involved in reviewing Pruitt’s lease, candidly admitted to Buzzfeed News, “I have now learned I was too credulous and I was not provided all relevant circumstances.”

All of this would be bad enough if it were an isolated incident — firing territory in a normal administration — but it isn’t. In addition to considering whether an investigation is warranted here, the EPA’s inspector general is already looking into Pruitt’s extravagant taxpayer-funded travel, his $43,000 installation of a soundproof booth in his office (also at taxpayer expense), and his use of special authority to hire and boost the pay of certain aides.

In our view, Pruitt also has unresolved conflicts of interest because he now finds himself on the other side of Clean Power Plan litigation and other matters in which he previously opposed the EPA. And The New York Times reported Thursday that at least five different EPA officials — including a veteran member of the administrator’s security detail — were reassigned, demoted or requested a move after they raised concerns about aspects of Pruitt's conduct.

More: Robert Mueller terrifies President Trump. Of course he wants him gone.

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

The Trump administration’s problems, of course, are not confined to Pruitt. His scandals are of a piece with the first-class travel that got Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price booted from the cabinet, the expensive vacations and freebies with family that contributed to Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin's ouster, the ongoing questions about taxpayer-funded travel by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson’s purchase of a $31,000 dining room set for his office (which he blamed on his wife), and above all Trump’s flagrant nepotism and, in our view, unconstitutional emoluments.

What makes Pruitt stand out is that while everyone else is following the president’s lead, he is going further with what seems like an act of defiance: He reportedly went behind Trump’s back to secure substantial raises for two aides after the White House refused to approve them. (One of the staffers, it bears noting, was the one who improperly searched for housing for Pruitt on EPA time). Pruitt claims he didn't know about the raises, even though the law requires his personal approval.

One must admire Pruitt’s willingness to treat his boss with the same disdain that Trump has shown for ethics and the taxpayer’s trust. Pruitt has even had the gall to tell friends about his ambition to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions — and Trump reportedly floated Pruitt's name for that job this week. Perhaps we should start calling him President Pruitt to honor his ambition to be just as unconstrained and scandal-ridden as Trump, and his aspirations to acquire perks like a bulletproof vehicle, an expanded 20-person security detail, and a $100,000-a-month membership for privately chartered flights.

Whatever his title or job, Pruitt should not retain it for much longer. It is time for him to go.

Norman Eisen, chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, was chief White House ethics lawyer in the Obama administration. Conor Shaw is counsel at CREW. Follow them on Twitter: @NormEisen and @ConorMarcusShaw.