This is the way this administration* works.

They’re starting to bail on Scott Pruitt, the energy-industry puppet placed in charge of the Environmental Protection Administration, not because Pruitt is dedicated to sticking a fracking operation up Washington’s nose on Mount Rushmore, but because Pruitt apparently also believes public service was created to give him a life of luxury. The latest to go over the side is Samantha Dravis, the assistant administrator for policy at EPA and a longtime associate of Pruitt. From The New York Daily News:

Her sudden departure comes as Pruitt faces a slew of possible ethics violations, including the $50 per night rental of a condo owned by the wife of a lobbyist, extravagant flight, travel and security costs, and large raises awarded to two top aides. “It has been an honor to serve in this role at EPA, and I am enormously grateful for the opportunity. I wish Administrator Pruitt and all of the public servants at EPA the very best,” she said in a statement.

OK, this is not surprising. Pruitt is quickly becoming radioactive and anyone with plans for the future has to be looking for a ripcord. And, as a New York Times story on Thursday made clear, the EPA has turned into a serious nest of vipers because people there are getting fed up with working for Scott Pruitt, International Man of Expense Accounts.

Mr. Pruitt bristled when the officials — four career E.P.A. employees and one Trump administration political appointee — confronted him, the people said. The political appointee, Kevin Chmielewski, was placed on administrative leave without pay, according to two of the people with knowledge of the situation. Mr. Chmielewski was among the first employees of Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign, serving as a senior advance official. The two people, who are administration officials, said that Mr. Chmielewski flagged some of his concerns about Mr. Pruitt directly to the White House’s presidential personnel office.

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Two of the career officials, Reginald E. Allen and Eric Weese, were moved to jobs where they had less say in spending decisions and less interaction with Mr. Pruitt, the people said. A third career official, John E. Reeder, joined American University as a temporary “executive in residence” after being told by the E.P.A. to find a new job. And a John C. Martin, who served on the security detail, was also removed from the team and had his gun and badge taken away after raising concerns about how Mr. Pruitt’s security was being handled.

Your tax dollars at work.

For instance, in a conversation with one of Mr. Pruitt’s closest aides, Mr. Chmielewski sharply objected to a proposal to buy a $100,000-a-month charter aircraft membership that would have allowed Mr. Pruitt to take unlimited private jet trips for official business, according to two administration officials. The membership was not purchased.

Mr. Chmielewski also objected to a proposal to spend about $70,000 to replace two desks in Mr. Pruitt’s office suite, including his personal desk and one at a security station outside his office. Asked about the proposed desk purchases, Mr. Wilcox, the E.P.A. spokesman, said that “the administrator never considered the proposal.” Pasquale Perrotta, who became head of Mr. Pruitt’s security detail after Mr. Weese was removed, insisted that the security desk be upgraded to a bulletproof model, according to current and former E.P.A. employees with direct knowledge of the discussions.

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The bulletproof security desk was not purchased, but two new desks were ordered for Mr. Pruitt’s personal office: a brown maple wood stand-up desk, with brass locks, that was purchased from a craftsman and an oversize desk with ornate woodworking that had been in a federal government warehouse in Virginia and was refurbished for Mr. Pruitt at a cost of $2,075.

Nevertheless, as is always the case in this administration*, there’s a plot twist connecting one embarrassment with another one. From the Daily News:

She [Dravis] is reportedly the ex-girlfriend of former White House staff secretary Rob Porter. The 34-year-old contacted White House Counsel Don McGahn about abuse allegations made by Porter’s ex-wives, according to reports.

And, via Talking Points Memo, we are hipped to an InsideEPA report that Pruitt was being damaged in the press by Porter, who was seeking revenge on Dravis for having blown the whistle on his history of domestic violence. This is like studying the really dumb portion of the Borgia family.

Rob Porter, a top former aide to President Donald Trump who was fired earlier this year over domestic abuse allegations, is reportedly a source of information about EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's ethical transgressions that are threatening his future at the agency, after Porter's relationship with a top former Pruitt aide soured, sources say. Porter did not respond to requests for comment but two sources say he leaked information about Pruitt after Samantha Dravis, his former girlfriend who resigned last week...

Porter, it should be noted, spent approximately 11 seconds in exile.



I have no further comment on this. It’s just the way it is.

Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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