Steve Benen notes that Trump’s EPA Administrator is not only pursuing corrupt practices, but he’s also not effective at destroying environment regulations:
The hype surrounding the EPA chief is starting to unravel. The New Republic’s Emily Atkin explainedthe other day that Pruitt has been prolific in attacking environmental protections, “but so far, Pruitt’s biggest achievement is that he appears successful.”
The piece went on to note that “at least ten of Pruitt’s intended regulatory rollbacks, in fact, are on hold due to lawsuits,” and given the EPA’s recent track record in the courts, those lawsuits against Pruitt’s moves stand a decent chance of success.
Politico’s Michael Grunwald added over the weekend that despite the Trump administration’s regressive efforts, Pruitt “has not yet killed or rolled back any significant regulations that were in place when President Donald Trump took office. While Pruitt is often hailed (or attacked) as Trump’s most effective (or destructive) deregulatory warrior, the recent spotlight on his ethics … has arguably overshadowed his lack of regulatory rollbacks during his first 15 months in Washington.”
It’s true that the damage he’s done to the agency is real and substantial. But given his rampant abuse of power as well as his amazing ineffectuality, one has to wonder:
Is Pruitt a mole, a Democrat under deep cover?
