“I can't speak to the future of Scott Pruitt," deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told Fox News in an interview. | Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo Trump praises Pruitt for 'fantastic job' amid ethics scandals

President Donald Trump on Thursday praised the “fantastic job” done by Scott Pruitt, the embattled administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, expressing support for Cabinet secretary mired in deepening ethics scandals.

“I think he’s done a fantastic job. I think he’s done an incredible job,” the president told reporters aboard Air Force One, according to a press pool report. “He’s been very courageous. It hasn’t been easy, but I think he’s done a fantastic job.”


Earlier in the day, when pressed by reporters on whether he still had confidence in Pruitt, Trump replied: “I do, I do.”

The remarks came amid a series of damaging revelations about Pruitt’s expensive travel, security costs and ties to lobbyists during his tenure at the EPA, creating a controversy that has thrown his job security into question. Trump’s comments on Thursday marked the first time in recent weeks that he had directly vouched for Pruitt amid an escalating series of reports on his decisions at the agency.

Morning Energy newsletter The source for energy and environment news — weekday mornings, in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Traveling back to Washington after a detour in West Virginia for a roundtable on tax changes, Trump declined to comment on whether he was bothered by reports about Pruitt.

“I have to look at them,” he said. “I’ll make that determination. But he’s a good man, he’s done a terrific job. But I’ll take a look at it.”

Earlier Thursday, a White House spokesman declined to weigh in on Pruitt's status in the administration.

After White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Wednesday that "the president's not" OK with reports that the agency chief rented a condo from a lobbyist for $50 a night, deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley was pressed to comment on Pruitt's status at the agency.

“I can't speak to the future of Scott Pruitt," Gidley told Fox News in an interview. "I can just talk about where we are now, and that is that the White House is aware of these reports."

"When he’s not pleased, you’ll know it," Gidley told reporters later in the day, according to a pool report. "Obviously reports are in the news that we’re aware of and we’re looking into, but the president himself said he has confidence, so that’s where we stand today.”

Gidley told Fox News that "some questions need to be answered" regarding Pruitt's conduct, saying the president would not tolerate unethical behavior in his administration.

“The president wants and demands, quite frankly, from his Cabinet and from all his staffers the highest level of ethics, ethical behavior; we want people to comply with ethics," Gidley said. "But in the meantime, we’re looking into this because the president wants that level of accountability for everyone who works there."

The White House aide noted, however, that Trump was pleased with Pruitt's efforts to roll back environmental regulations at the EPA.