mr. pruitt. we've certainly seen president trump even today go out of his way to praise mr. pruitt. but is there attrition among republican members of congress who might make a difference in terms of his fate? >> well, i think perhaps one wild card you. mentioned senator joni ernst. senator grassley has also raised concerns about scott pruitt. corn state senators, republicans from corn state republicans are really concerned about a different issue, renewable fuels mandate, biofuels and how they feel that the epa under mr. pruitt is treating their states. and so that has really fed into a lot of concern about mr. pruitt from some republicans that, you know, that might not ordinarily, you know, raise these kinds of flags. but i think, at the end of the day, one thing that we've reported over and over again is that there is one person that counts here, and it's president trump. and, you know, as we saw today, there still appears to be a great deal of support for president trump. >> lisa freiedman, c

mr. pruitt. this is becoming just something else added to the list. at opportunity never actually materialized, but it's one more thing we're seeing scott pruitt do here as he's und 12 federal investigations right now for a including his travel expenses, flying first class on taxpayer dollars living situation, his coziness with lobbyist, his blatant disregard for the taxpayer dollar and we' seeing

mr. pruitt. pruitt approved big pay raises even though the white house refused to sign off on them. president trump praised pruitt just yesterday. >> administrator scott pruitt, thank you, scott, very much. epa is doing really, really well and, you know, somebody has to say that about you a little bit, you know that, scott. but you've done -- the epa is doing so well, so many approvals -- >>> joining us now is christine todd whitman. she was the epa director. governor of new jersey and a critic, frankly of scott pruitt. governor, thanks so much for being with us. these two aides resigned, one of them admitted to doing personal tasks for scott pruitt including apartment hunting and using a trump hotel mattress yet the president continues to heap praise on him, why? >> i have no idea. i cannot imagine why this is continuing because the agenda that the president set out, i may disagree with it entirely as far as epa and science and protecting human health is concerned but that's his agenda and that'

mr. pruitt himself but that mr. rt said my wife, the landlord, spoke with scott pruitt and discussed a job for a young man, seemingly a family friend, a recent college graduate. >> lisa, thank you so much for being with us, appreciate it. >> thank you. >>> we have breaking news out of the supreme court. let's go to nbc news justice correspondent pete williams outside the court. what are they saying there, sneet. >> reporter: a koumg couple of after the supreme court decided a case of a colorado baker throwing the case -- ruling for him in a very narrow way, this is a baker who refused to serve a same-sex marriage, today the supreme court threw out a lower court ruling against a washington state florist who refused to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding saying it woo violate her religious principles and interfere with her relationship with jesus christ. now, what the court did is vacate the lower court ruling or toss out the lower court ruling against her and send the case back with instructions to the washington s

mr. pruitt in light of questions about misuse of authority. two speak frequently and th negative view of jeff sessions, the attorney general, with the em battled epa leader. so best we can gather, he's sorts of his gossip bud dy? how he's kept the job? >> several months ago sort of speculation in washington that scott pruitt was trying to convince president trump to replace jeff sessions as attorney general with him. with mr. pruitt himself. then there was talk about whether or not he was the one leaking those stories. it goes on and on. quite a drama in respect is also the case, craig, with a backed up log of confirmations on capitol hill, republicans who control the senate, worried about headwinds going into november's elections and they did say several months ago, no more firings. we don't have the bandwidth to look to new candidates and confirming new cabinet secretaries. after mike pompeo became the new secretary of state, and that had become a bit of al biter at the end. there was some protection from senate leadership of scott pruitt. o

mr. pruitt: what's interesting about this type of discussion, we're talking about free speech, religious liberty and folks willing to engage in it this west doesn't want to talk about results. they just want to shout, they want to try to intimidate as oppose tad talk about what's being done in this administration. there's great things happening across the country. as i was sharing with you, as i toured that church in romania, with that pastor, i asked him about those pictures that were up on the wall from the 1950's and 1960's. i said did you all meet in that time frame? he said yes, we met every week. but if we met in this house of worship there was someone always in attendance from the government and listened to everything we said. if we took outside the four walls of this church what we learned inside the four walls of this church we were persecuted and prosecuted. i will tell you there are some in this country today who look at the issue of religious liberty, look at the issue of free exercise of religion the same way. they believe that we have a right to exercise our religious belie

mr. pruitt, but it's not meant for everyday use. now, according to politico, pruitt racked up a large bill and even invited friends, prominent oklahoma republicans and representatives from the oklahoma farm bureau to join him there at the white house mess hall. >>> coming up for us after a break, the thousands of texans who went out in boats to watch the arrival of hurricane harvey and then needed rescue by the coast guard. the story isn't true, but the allegation came from the very top when "the 11th hour" continues. >>> last thing before we go here tonight, the moment that got the most attention when the president visited fema headquarters in washington yesterday was his decision to place his water bottle on the floor, followed immediately by mike pence's decision to do the same with his water bottle. even though the president was at fema talking about the start of hurricane season, it was noted that he said nothing about the loss of life in puerto rico. puerto ricans are, of course, american citizens just like the people of texas.

mr. pruitt, but it's not meant for everyday use. cording to politico, pruitt racked up a large bill and even invited friends, prominent oklahoma republicans and representatives from the oklahoma farm bureau to join him there at the white house mess hall. >>> coming up for us after a break, the thousands of texans who went out in boats to watch the arrival of hurricane harvey and then needed rescue by the coast guard. the story isn't true, but the allegation came from the very top when "the 11th hour" continues. with tripadvisor, finding your perfect hotel at the lowest price... is as easy as dates, deals, done! simply enter your destination and dates... and see all the hotels for your stay! tripadvisor searches over 200 booking sites... to show you the lowest prices... so you can get the best deal on the right hotel for you. dates, deals, done! tripadvisor. visit tripadvisor.com >>> last thing before we go here tonight, the moment that got the most attention when the president visited fema headquarters in washington yesterday was his

mr. pruitt, but it's not meant for everyday use. rge bill and even invited friends, prominent oklahoma republicans and representatives from the oklahoma farm bureau to join him there at the white house mess hall. >>> coming up for us after a break, the thousands of texans who went out in boats to watch the arrival of hurricane harvey and then needed rescue by the coast guard. the story isn't true, but the allegation came from the very top when "the 11th hour" continues. what might seem like a small cough to you... can be a big bad problem that you could spread to family members, including your grandchildren babies too young to be vaccinated against whooping cough are the most at risk for severe illness. but you can help prevent this. talk to your doctor today about getting vaccinated against whooping cough. because dangers don't just exist in fairytales. ♪now i'm gonna tell my momma ♪that i'm a traveller ♪i'm gonna follow the sun♪ ♪now i'm gonna tell my momma ♪that i'm a traveller ♪i'm gonna follow the sun transitions™ light under co

mr. pruitt do you owe taxpayers an apology, sir? pruitt is losing support even from members of his own party. >> he's acting like a moron. >> reporter: he is facing 15 allegations and the credibility office found he broke the law when he installed a $43,000 phone booth in his office. >> it's about as swampy as you get. >> reporter: tonight pruitt working for a president that promised to drain the swamp. kasie hunt, nbc news, the capital. >>> let's turn to the mystery that triggered the evacuation of diplomats. the state department confirming employees from a u.s. consulate there suffered unexplained health problems similar to the concussion-like symptoms staffers in cuba reported. u.s. officials are investigating both china and cuba have denied any role. >>> controversy has erupted in new york where the democratic governor and mayor are taking up the cause of a pizza delivery man about to be deported. they claim he was doing his job, but federal officials say they had reason to arrest him. nbc's ann thompson has the details. >> repor

mr. pruitt's staff today. this is from theatlantic.com,

mr. pruitt but it's not meant for every day use. hat pruitt enlisted if your time security detail for taking him to buy his favorite moisturizing lotion. isn't that sweet? i don't know what to say. i'll say it 100 times, some people get caught, some people never get caught. he gets caught every hour. >> as long as donald trump doesn't care, he's good as gold that's the problem. >> the best part about that video when he explained the chick-fil-a is the end where he goes, it's exciting times. it is definitely not exciting times for scott pruitt. these are miserable times. >> finally one person who knows how to stay on touch's good side is vice president mike pence. let's watch. >> president trump has been making history since the first day of this administration. >> i know i speak on behalf of the entire cabinet and of millions of americans when i say congratulations and thank you. i'm deeply pum humbled as your vipt to be here. >> it's the greatest privilege of my life to be as vice president to president trump. he's a man of his word

mr. pruitt's waiver? >> i don't -- can you ask last part of the question? >> does gm agree with mr. pruitt's opposition to the california waiver? >> that's not a question about the midterm review? >> that's right. it's a question about your agreement. >> i'm not really prepared to give general motors' point of view on that question. the propulsion systems and product development and we are here to talk about, you know, octane, and engines. and i'm not really informed about the waiver, or whether that's okay or not okay. >> this is an important question to california and the nation in general. the automakers understand in my opinion that the high fuel efficiency standards are in their interest, in the international auto market. they should be in opposition to this potential opposition. >> we have a midterm statement on the review and i'd be happy to share that with the committee. >> all right. mr. thompson has proposed replacing the renewable fuel standard with 95 r.o.n. octane performance standards. however, if the octane is not sourced from ethanol, wouldn't this just increase oil u

mr. pruitt. this is becoming just something else added to the list. pportunity never actually materialized, but it's one more thing we're seeing scott pruitt do here as he's und 12 federal investigations right now for a including his travel expenses, flying first class on taxpayer dollars living situation, his coziness with lobbyist, his blatant disregard for the taxpayer dollar and we' seeing this pblem continue to add up where it's become a running joke that he has another ethics scandal added to his list. sarah said she hadn'ted it with t but they were concerns. lawmakers are now piling on the president to do something abo scott pruitt. joni ernst a republican issue a blistering statement about scot going after him for all of these issues saying that he's abouts swampy as you can get and it just goes t show, that this is oneesident's most powerful cabinet member. if the president wants to amp, he needs to take a look at own cabinet. that is a promise the president made when he came to washington and there does seem to be a deal of irony now. >> and

pruitt never spoke to the ceo of than told "the washington post" mrs. pruitt didn't complete the frchise application. this is a weird story. >> this is the definition of swamp. >> no kidding. we'll be right back. welcome to holiday inn! thank you! ♪ ♪ wait, i have something for you! every stay is a special stay at holiday inn. save up to 15% when you book early at hollidayinn.com save up to 15% when you book early whent onbones, e you on theight path? we have postmenopausal osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture, so with our doctors we chose prolia® to help make our bones stronger. only prolia® helps strengthen bones by stopping cells that damage them with 1 shot every 6 months. do not take prolia® if you have low blood calcium, are pregnant, are allergic to it, or take xgeva®. serious allergic reactions, like low blood pressure; trouble breathing; throat tightness; face, lip or tongue swelling, rash, itching orivavhappened. tell your doctor about dental problems, as severe jaw bone problems may happen or new or unusual pain in your hip, groin, or thigh, as

mr. baker, president trump yesterday, with these words of support for scott pruitt. >> administrator scott pruitt, thank you, scott, very much. epa is doing really, really well. you know, somebody has to say that about you a little bit. people are really impressed with the job being done at the epa. thank you, scott. >> the president has let cabinet secretaries go before. why is scott pruitt surviving? >> we don't really know the answer. some of the other officials let go before who have come under fire for things usually had other issues as well. there wasn't a reservoir of good will. clearly scott pruitt has been keeping faith with president obama's agenda. he's been implementing the policies the president wants to have implemented. i think the president these days feeling the heat from the investigations that have surrounded him is feeling sort of, you know, projecting on other people the notion that they're somehow being persecuted unfairly. any day, one of these stories kind of like get his goat and he decides too much is too much and he could switch gears. >> charlie, republicans, at

mr. pruitt is breaking our president's promises to farmers, and at some point he will say it's time for yous you get. >> i think i made myself clear on what i expect and what i intend to do if these changes do hurt biofuels. i think that pruitt has betrayed the president. >> those are iowa's two republican senators. important to note that joni ernst takes it into the swamplan swampland. but then they take it to a higher degree. why does this guy still have a job? >> we talked about republicans being willing to stand up to trump. this is one area they have lost patience. scott pruitt must have the thickest skin in washington. he's taken all this incoming and he seems to have no shame. >> this is the thing, if you have no shame, it's going to be very hurtful for people, and where else have we seen that? i just -- it's been described to me as a problem the president doesn't want to deal with, including they now have a deputy administrator they like. but he hears from a lot of people who he thinks need their support, that pruitt is great, and this sun fair, and he always equates people being un

a company represente also told "the washington post" mrs. pruitt complete the chick-fil-a franchisee application. well, that's too bad, but if she ever wants to finish that application, i hear her husband has fancy new pens she could obably borrow. whoooo. looking for a hotel that fits... ...your budget? tripadvisor now searches over... ...200 sites to find you the... ...hotel you want at the lowest price. grazi, gino! find a price that fits. tripadvisor. for my constipation, my doctor recommended i switch to miralax. stimulant laxatives forcefully stimulate the nerves in your colon. miralax is different. it works with the water in your body. unblocking your system naturally. miralax. now available in convenient single-serve mix-in pax. >>> it's primary night in america and potentially pivotal for the democratic party's hopes of taking back the in the midterm elections in november. democrats are eyeing a handful ofeats in new jersey but the biggest target is california where democrats are trying to flip up t ten gop held districts. political corres

mr. pruitt's outside counsel who did not return my calls and e-mails seeking comment. the white house has not yet commented on it but we're hoping that we'll get something today now that our story is out. >> we've been down this road with scott pruitt before. i just want to remind folks that when sara huckabee sanders has been asked repeatedly aboutthess had to say. >> i haven't had a chance to speak with the president directly about "the washington post" new report. we continue to have concerns and look into those and we'll address them. certainly looking into the matter. i couldn't comment on the specifics of the furniture use in his apartment. he was referencing a report done by the epa which we are continuing to review. i know there was a much larger number of securites surrounding the epa administrator than in the past. but for specific questions i'd refer you back to the epa. we take this seriously and we're looking into it. >> elise, as someone who's worked in the white house, there are currently at least 14 ongoing investigations involving scott pruitt and you

mr. pruitt is expected to public another major change, his agency's legal proposal to gut president baracks role to reduce climate warming vehicle from vehicle tail pipes. that raises the prospect that the american car market could be split in two, with different groups of states enforcing different solution rules. the other two branches of government, legislative and the courts, are free to weigh in here. like the executive branch, the courts and legislature are supposed to act in the best interest of the american people who, rich and poor, north and south, east and west, all have an equal stake in air and water. on that note, that is our broadcast for this thursday evening. thank you for being here with us. good night from nbc news headquarters here in new york. >> i wanted to make this out of the goodness of my heart. >> the president sued for running a lawless slush fund. >> donald trump gave $1 million, okay? >> tonight, the new lawsuit alleging persistently illegal conduct during the 2016 campaign. then the justice department reports. james comey helped elect donald trump. >> i am a

mr. pruitt expected to publish a major which i think, the agency legal propose to to gut barack obama's ruleproposal is a court battle with california and raises the prospect that the american car market can be split in two with different groups of states enforcing different pollution rules. the other two branches of government, legislative and courts are free to weigh in. like the courts, the legislature supposed to act in the best interest of the american people, rich and poor, north, south and east and west have an equal stake in air and water. on that note, that is our broadcast this thursday evening. thank you for being here with us, good night from nbc read quarters here in new york. >>> this morning democrats and republicans at odds over a new doj report. it finds that james comey breached protocol but was not politically motivated in his handling of the clinton e-mail probe. >> and suing the trump foundation alleging vast illegal activity. >> and jeff sessions uses the bible to defend the administration's policy of separating children around parents at the border while some republica

an employee of the federal government and eventually through some of those wealthy support ares mrs. pruitt got herself a job starting with a group called the judicial crisis network like the previous dozen pruitt scandals that would normal result in investigations or indictment ofs but pruitt is safe as long as nothing republican cares. opments on that are thing 2 in 60 seconds. , finr perfect hotel at the lowest e... is as easy as dates, deals, done! simply enter your destination and dates... and see all the hotels for your stay! tripadvisor searches over 200 booking sites... to show you the lowest prices... so you can get the best deal on the right hotel for you. dates, deals, done! tripadvisor. visit tripadvisor.com the first survivor of ais out there.sease and the alzheimer's association is going to make it happen. but we won't get there without you. visit alz.org to join the fight. but we won't get there without you. >>> the list of scott pruitt's scandals keeps growing and today maybe some on the right have had enough. ght wing radio and tv shst laura ingraham ham wrote hurting po pr

an employee of the federal government and eventually through some of those wealthy support ares mrs. pruitterself a job starting with a groupd the judicial crisis network l the previous dozen pruitt scandals that would normal result in investigations or indictment ofs but pruitt fe as long as nothing republican cares. some developments on that front are thing 2 in 60 seconds. >>> the list of scott pruitt's scandals keepsrowing and today maybe some on the right have enough. right wing radio and tv shoest laura ingraham ham wrote hurting potus, got to. pruitt's friend jim inhofe who brought a snowball on the senate floor to prove global warning isn't real is having some >> afraid my good friend scott pruit has done some things that surprise. and i'm one who say this because frankly, he's a good friend of mine. i see these things. they upset me as much as they upset you. i think something needs to happen to change this. one of those alternatives would be for him to leave that job. >> maybe the worst sign for pruitt comes from his own epa spokesman who is no longe even trying t defend the strai

mr. pruitt, climate change is real!!!! we are watching you. for the sake of our planet, our children & our grandchildren, will you be a reasonable man? i repeat, we are watching you!" it was signed by seven first names. well, this postcard is on the potential list of potential threats to pruitt's safety that the epa used to justify a 24/7 security detail that has cost taxpayers at least $3.5 million. >> right. part of the grandiose story around scott pruitt. yes this 20 47 security detail that former epa administers or administrators have not had an for which he is no reason. he uses these people to create a bubble around himself when he travels to put on screaming sirens and take them to his favorite restaurants in washington dc, to protect him from citizens who might come up to complain about what he is doing. as you say, to do where things like find his favorite moisturizer. -- to do where things like find his favorite moisturizer. amy: are going to take a break and come back to the latest news, and that is one of the top headlines today, t

mr. pruitt but it's not hasn't for everyday use. that's the latest in a seemingly never ending litany of bad headlines for pruitt which this week includes that he tried to get used mat tress from a trump hotel. and then used his position to try to get his wife lined up with a chick-fil-a franchise. senators are becoming more vocal with their disapproval of pruitt's personal conduct. >> i said yesterday, i don't mean any disrespect but he is acting like a more on. >> and the president himself yet again is still coming to pruitt's defense. >> administrator scott pruitt, thank you scott very much. epa is doing really really well. somebody has to say that about you a little bit. you know that, scott. >> joining me now is republican senator joni ernst of iowa who earlier this week said pruitt is quote about as swampy as you get. senator, welcome back to the show. >> thanks chuck. >> let me ask you this, what bothers you more right now, the policies that are come out of epa. voing ethanol or his personal conduct and the judgment he is usin

mr. pruitt expected to publish a major which i think, the agency legal propose to to gut barack obama's rulet proposal is a court battle with california and raises the prospect that the american car market can be split in two with different groups of states enforcing different pollution rules. the other two branches of government, legislative and courts are free to weigh in. like the courts, the legislature supposed to act in the best interest of the american people, rich and poor, north, south and east and west have an equal stake in air and water. on that note, that is our broadcast this thursday evening. thank you for being here with us, good night from nbc read quarters here in new york. >> so did i not say there was going to be a ton of news this week? we knew in advance this week was going to be nuts but that was an understatement. so lots to get to tonight. there are a lot of ways to get yourself an advantage in an election. you can, for example, get an edge on your opponent if you are great on the issues and explaining your position so you win all of the arguments and debates and the

mr. pruitt apparently has done, i know some of them are allegation, some of them are facts, he is acting a moron. and he needs to stop it. it's not personal. but he just needs to stop acting -- misbehaving. >> senator kennedy, ladies and gentlemen, so here's the thing, anna, and sahil, he said it's not personal. an argument i have heard. they say scott pruitt is implementing policy, right? he is implementing policy the president likes. here's my question to you. could the president find somebody else who would also implement policy but maybe not do all these other things as well? >> yeah, i mean he's been effective at the epa in terms of, you know, putting together and pushing forward trump's agenda but so have many of his other cabinet secretaries and they're not in the news every day. this is a constant drag. one surprising thing the president doesn't like when the headlines is not about him. this is a long-standing narrative, drip after drip after drip. >> here's what he said at fema. watch. >> administrator scott pruitt, thank you, scott, very much. epa is doing really, really well a

mr. pruitt apparently has done, i know some of them are allegations, some of them are facts.acting like a moron. and he needs to stop it. >> he is really abusing his position of power. and that is what i said. it's about as swampy as you get. >> let's turn to our high-end moistu moisturizer correspondent, donny deutsch. i know you moisturize from stem to stern every morning. >> he's lubricating the swamp, not draining the swamp. >> stop it! >> i want to know that the head of the epa is moisturized, i think it's important for all of us. the thought of him having a little chafe, before we, joe, i now you can be rough on people. i want to step back and i'm serious, and the ritz-carlton thing, we were talking about, has a certain scent to it. so i think he wants to smell good. let us be a little more open and tolerant of people's grooming habits. >> you know, as somebody, willie, that came off the farm and fell off the turnip truck not so long ago i'm reminded of what vince lombardi told his player that celebrated too long in the end zone. he walked up to him and said, act like y

mr. pruitt succeeds, future cost-benefit analysis will be more consistent and transparent. the reform would help to ensure regulation is based on sound scientific analysis instead of wishful bureaucratic thinking. with that, mr. speaker, i would reserve the balance of my time. the chair: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. does any member rise to claim time in opposition to the amendment? mr. gohmert: just in conclusion, this is ultimately a tax on the nation's poor. the rich, they can handle these added costs that come out of the minds nebraska you louis areas of bureaucrats' minds, but the real ultimate cost is actually to the nation's poor. and i can't help but go back to texasn, elderly lady from that says, you know, i keep having these costs go up and up and up, i'm afraid i'm going to end up in my home going back to a wood-burning stove because of the federal government. and i said i hate to be the one break this to you, but your wood-burning stove that your momma used probably wouldn't be allowed today. any way, there is no reason to have this kind of cost

mr. pruitt himself raised millions of dollars in dark money while serving as oklahoma's attorney general, and he has never disclosed what business those interests who funded him now have before the e.p.a. americans correctly feel that the tsunami of anonymous dark money drowns out their voices in washington and washes them to the margins of our political arena. the disclose act of 2018 offers a commonsense solution to restore transparency and accountability into our political system. and with the senate now in session through most of the summer, there's ample time for this body to examine the merits of clearing dark money out of our political system. the problem of dark money spending and threats is too big to ignore. and this is why we are failing at addressing climate change. the corruption and fear citizens united set loose in our politics in 2010 sickeningly empowered big special interests, and to the lasting shame of our nation it allowed the fossil fuel industry to purchase veto power over our national policy making on climate change. we have allowed the biggest interests with the b

. >>> scott pruitt is a swamp monster. mr. president you know what to do. >> you're fired. >> for the good of the country pruitt must go. >> now, that's not an ad from some liberal group. it's actually from the conservative american future fund. we are back on swamp watch this morning and we just got this reaction from senator chuck grassley who stopped short of calling for scott pruitt's firing. >> there are a whole bunch of ethics issues at stake using his staff to find a job for his wife i think is really something that is out of order. >> now even long time ally says it may be time for scott pruitt to go as the list of questionable ethical practices continues to grow. conservative talk host piling on. pruitt bad judgment hurting potus. got to go. with us two political analysts as well as former aid to hillary clinton's campaign along with republican strategist. you got -- rich lowery one of his biggest supporters, did a whole oped piece about it. he said republicans should want pruitt out. his basic argument here, susan, is

mr. pruitt, who had a clear sense of entitlement in the words of one of them indicated he expected matters the per view of government. aides also told the paper that pruitt made it clear he had no hesitation in stature of a cabinet member to solicit favors for himself. he expected a certain kind of living. what? >> it takes you to the ritz-carlton lotion. >> the new headline from "the washington post" that pruitt and his family received rose bowl tickets from an energy pr. >> joining the table, ceditor fr women's website, bustle. >> going to star in the reboot of "single white female" with mika. mika didn't understand the reference. >> i haven't seen it. >> you haven't seen any of "the g godfathers" either. >> paul ryan says he doesn't want to weigh in on pruitt and children being separated from parents, he said you need a piece of legislation to make sure that stops happening. that is simply untrue. this has stemmed from trump policy that could be overturned tomorrow and we could reunite these children with their parents, but he's acting as if you need legislature to make it possible. he

scott pruitt scandals and i don't know how they can be at this point. number five, back to congressman allego. mr. gallego: he cited security concerns and not concerned with the $3.5 million spent on security escorts. let me tell you, number one, i think for many americans nobody knows who scott pruitt is. you don't need to be flying first class and shouldn't be making the american public be paying for your first class tickets. mr. lieu: number four, the $43 sound proof booth. he is so paranoid that he wasted $4 ,000 of your money to build a sound proof phone booth for him to make phone calls. so if the president doesn't want to fire e.p.a. administrator scott pruitt for his corruption, think the president should be firing him for being superweird. to have a staff to try and find used trump mattresses and build this private phone booth, that is just creepy and strange. mr. gallego: unsanctioned raises. in a time in america where every american is hoping to get a pay raise, he was told, you are not allowed to give your employees a pay raise. he was specifically told they do not deserve that pay ra

mr. speaker, the trump administration is the most corrupt in our country's long history. they're enriching themselves and rewarding special interests and campaign donors like nothing we have ever seen and proof look at scott pruitt. just today news broke that last year he enlisted a top e.p.a. aide to ask big republican donors to help his wife find a job. mr. huffman: eventually securing her position with judicial crisis network. we learned about similar efforts involving pruitt's attempt to secure a chick-fil-a franchise for his wife using e.p.a. resources. he raised millions of dollars as attorney general of oklahoma from oil, gas, and coal companies for his campaign. he chaired a dark money group which had state challenges to clean air and water protections. he sued the e.p.a. 14 times at oklahoma a.g. to block health protections while raking in campaign contributions from his polluter co-litigants. he's facing more than 12 federal investigations into his corruption, influence peddling, waste of millions in taxpayer dollars on his lavish lifestyle. mr. speaker, in any other administration, any other time, he would have been fired long ago. it's time for pruitt to go and it's time for congress to do something

pruitt's work product looks pretty arbitrary and capricious. short on facts, short on analysis, long on giveaways to industries that fund him. it's entirely understandable, mr. president, that the interests to which pruitt is beholden would be fighting for him to keep his job. they love this. for them, pruitt running this public health agency into the ground is a feature, not a bug of the pruitt tenure. they are just in it for the regulatory rollbacks. but i hope they recognize that a lot of pruitt's work is so sloppy that it will likely not ultimately stand up in court. i hope president trump understands that the guy he thinks of as hisreat deregulator isn't actually very good at deregulating. only time will tell how long scott pruitt can survive the mounting, swirling ethical ordeals of his own making, and we will also see how his industry-friendly regulatory record fares under the scrutiny of honest courts, but something tells me that i'll be back here in the not to distant future with more to say about the troubled and disgraceful tenure of scott pruitt. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the r

mr. schiff: you could probably have any number of hearings on the decimation of the state department, on scott pruitt any day of the week. but in our committee, in the intel committee, and vis-a-vis the russia investigation, one issue that i'm very concerned has not been investigated in congress is the issue of money laundering. that is, were the russians laundering money through the trump organization? is this the leverage the russians have over the president of the united states? to me that is far more , potentially compromising that -- compromising than any salacious video. mike: do you believe that happened? mr. schiff: i don't know. mike: you think it's possible? mr. schiff: it's certainly possible. we know that the trump organization had deep difficulty getting any legitimate financing from u.s. banks. the only bank that would do business with them, because of their business practices, was deutsche bank. which was fined hundreds of millions of dollars by the state of new york for laundering russian money. we also know that even according to the president's own sons, they were getting a ton of m

mr. ryan: i would reyou to the authorizing committee that oversees the e.p.a. i'm glad regulatory position they have taken. i don't know enough about what pruitt has or has not done to give you a good comment. reporter: question on opioids. multiyear at this pont. we heard talk in the 2016 campaign. are the 50 bills the solution? what's your view in terms of what congress' role is and what should be done to address the federal government side something that has become a epidemic -- mr. ryan: what we're trying to do is get on top of this problem. this problem crept up on america very fast. we started with cara, comprehensive addiction recovery act. then we financed cara. that is now passed into law and being financed. what's happening is, for instance, in janesville, wisconsin, rock county, our local police department has put together all of the stakeholders, recovery community, religious community, the treatment community, and have come up with a comprehensive way of dealing with this problem. franklin county, ohio, is a good example. rob portman talks about that a lot. we're out in the field testing ideas how to tackle this opioid crisis. tha

mr. thank speaker. r. speaker, in apr filed a resolution, it's resolution 834, resolution of no confidence in the e.p.a. administrator, scott pruitt. weow have over 140 co-sponso to this resolution. this is a resolution that points out that we have high standards for government service. and it is unacceptable to have scandal after scandal, the waste of taxpayers' money coming ow -- out of the environmental protection agency's administrator's office and scott pruitt. what we know now scandal after scandal that comes to light is that administrator pruitt, he has a penchant for luxury travel at taxpayer expense. class at fly first taxpayer expense. he likes to stay in luxury hotels at taxpayer expense. and this is unacceptable. federal ethics laws bar public officials from using their position or using their staff to enrich themselves. in addition to his luxury travel and luxury accommodations, we now know that he installed a secret privacy phone boo in his office tohe tune of $43,000, paid for by the taxpayers. he's installed biometric locks on his door at the e.p.a. -- that cost over $5,000. due to good journalism, we know that the

pruitt asked me to reach out to you about a potential meeting. days later, a second message is sent. the administrator would like to talk about a potential business opportunity with mrong stream of ethically questionable moves and spending gaffes that has ethic experts amazed just how pruitt is able to hold onto his job. >> it's mind boggling how long the list of potential ethics violations are. >> reporter: earlier this week it was revealed pruitt sent an epa staffer on government time to run personal errands including asking the trump hotel about buying a used mattress for him. a list of probes or investigations into pruitt is a long one, from leasing a d.c. condo from a lobbyist's wife below cost to spending tax dollars on first class travel and weekend trips home, handing out jobs and pay raises to political aides, holding questionable meetings with companies seeking epa favors. 13 separate probes now underway involving pruitt and yet he keeps his job. you don't doubt that is the message scott pruitt is saying through his actions, ethics do not apply to me? >> i think that's certainly it. you even have inconsistent explanations for different things he's done. i

mrs. trump will not travel to the g7 summit in canada. or to singapore. >>> scott pruitt's told house oversight committee members she researched rental properties for pruitt. she was asked to inquire about purchasing for pruitt a used mattress from the trump international hotel. democrats say it's a violation. they're asking to subpoena records that they think will show pruitt misused his office by asking staff to run personal errands. and today the president marked his 500th day in office with tweet number 3,495. we have accomplished a lot the president tweeted many believe more than any president in his first 500 days. he went on to out the the gop tax cut, lower crime, immigration policy and, quote, the best economy and jobs ever. >>> so so much great has happened and that's why we're calling this the 500 days of greatness. the president himself will talk to grass root supporters later today. we have more opt schism and economy that's booming and more respect on the world stage. the last president was given the nobel peace prize. this president may actually earn it. >> a

mr. drikmeier, peter, welcome. >> thank you, president kwon. and commissioners. peter drikmeyer, the river trust. all aware scott pruitt and the trump administration have waged a war on the environment, and it's something we need to p attention to. and it's san francisco's values. i wanted to read you a few figures from a public opinion poll, on san francisco attitude towards water rates and water supplies. and the number one reason that people were much more inclined to support diversifying the water supply was the environment and the question was, or the statement, this proposal will be good for the environment by using other sources of water, less water will be taken from california rivers and more freshwater available to the fish, wildlife and plants that depend on it. and another question recycled water for irrigation and the environment was the number one reason. the more recycled water we use the less we take out of rivers and streams and the scarceater supplies. good for the fish, plants and wildlife thatly on th. 84% polled felt it was a convincing argument for reliable water supply and having drought-proof wa

new ad calling on president trump to fire pruitt using the president's own signature catch phrase to underscore their point. >> scott proulx sit a swamp monster. mr you're fired. >> for the good of the country, pruitt must go. >> wow. >> yes. swamp monster. >> the swamp monster. i will say we did a piece on the nightly news about the various -- that list that you cannot read that list in an accurate way in a minute and 30 seconds. i think my favorite, there's the used mattress from the trump hotel, there was the chick-fil-a franchise -- >> the fountain pens. $1500 fountain pens. >> what else could we use $1500 for, if not 12 mofountain pens. >> what those people are saying scott pruitt for the good of the ethanol industry. that's what those people are about. everybody has a vested interest, not just about ethics. >> everybody has an angle. >> it is sort of building the president likes pruitt personally, thinks he's done a good job and pruitt benefits from having high profile trump campaign from the new york world, maybe that's kept him there. at some point the president gets tired of the drip, drip, drip. >> yes. guy, this is not necessarily a sp