Pablo Martinez Monsivai/AP
EPA administrator Scott Pruitt
- President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that his embattled Environmental Protection Agency chief, Scott Pruitt, had resigned.
- Pruitt has for months faced increasing pressure to resign amid a laundry list of reports into his ethically questionable leadership at the agency.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his embattled Environmental Protection Agency chief, Scott Pruitt, had resigned.
In a series of tweets, the president thanked Pruitt for his "outstanding" service and announced that Andy Wheeler, the EPA's current deputy head, will take over as acting administrator.
"I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this," Trump wrote.
He continued, "I have no doubt that Andy will continue on with our great and lasting EPA agenda. We have made tremendous progress and the future of the EPA is very bright!"
Pruitt is currently under a dozen separate investigations into possible ethical violations, including those related to his regular first-class flights and copious spending on personal security. Both Democrats and Republicans have urged Pruitt to resign amid months of scandalous reports on his ethically questionable leadership at the agency.