Separately, in an exchange with Senator Bernie Sanders, Pruitt said “Senator, I believe that the [EPA] administrator has a very important role to perform in regulating CO2.”

By offering and affirming that the EPA Administrator has an important role in regulating carbon dioxide in light of the EPA’s Endangerment Finding, Pruitt clearly acknowledged the role CO2 plays in global warming.

But his deception goes even deeper. During separate questioning in committee Pruitt also explicitly acknowledged “That the endangerment finding is there and needs to be enforced and respected.” When pressed by Senator Markey on whether he would review or alter the finding if confirmed, Pruitt said “There is nothing that I know that would cause a review at this point.”

Pruitt clearly made the case to the Senate at the time that he had no reason to reverse the finding that CO2 poses a danger by causing climate change, whereas now he says publicly that it does not pose a danger, actively denying the role of CO2 as a dangerous climate pollutant. Pruitt’s dissembling was so thorough that back in January NPR wrote a headline saying “Pruitt Denounces Regulations and Distances Himself From Climate Change Deniers at Hearing to Lead EPA”