A third Republican member of Congress has now called for the resignation of embattled Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) on Thursday joined fellow Republican Reps. Carlos Curbelo (FL) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL) in calling upon Pruitt to exit the EPA over multiple ethics scandals.
“Congresswoman Stefanik believes it’s in the best interest of the EPA for Mr. Pruitt to resign,” a spokesperson for the New York congresswoman told The Daily Beast. “She will continue to be a strong advocate in Congress for environmental issues that affect our district, which is the proud home of the Adirondacks.”
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Stefanik initially made the remarks at a town hall meeting in South Glens Falls.
On Tuesday, as the controversy ballooned around Pruitt’s stay at a Washington D.C. townhouse and its links to a prominent energy lobbyist who previously funded some of his political campaigns, two Florida Republicans also said he should quit immediately.
“Major policy differences aside, @EPAScottPruitt’s corruption scandals are an embarrassment to the Administration, and his conduct is grossly disrespectful to American taxpayers,” Curbelo, who is running for re-election in an extremely competitive South Florida district, tweeted. “It’s time for him to resign or for @POTUS to dismiss him.”
Ros-Lehtinen, who is retiring after this session, told CNN afterwards that she concurred.
“I agree with my colleague, Carlos, that the EPA administrator should resign,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “When scandals and distractions overtake a public servant’s ability to function effectively, another person should fill that role.”
