pretend you don't even really know scott pruitt's name. this is the first you have ever ard thermighbe any negati whatsoeve concerning scott pruitt and his time as a cabinet official. even if this was it, even if this was the only negative news story that had ever broken about him, ask yourself if you think it seems feasible that he still has this job tonight after this warertafternoo so it's a simple story. scott pruitt got sworn in to be head of the epa in february last year, february 2017. then march, april, may -- three monthster, may 17, ofngor stt uitt at e ep sent this e-mail. from sydney hupp to dan cafey at chick-fil-a. meeting with scott pruitt. good afternoon. hopefully this e-mail finds you well. administrator pruitt asked me to reach out to you and see if you might be willing to get a time set up for the two of to you have a meeting. if there is something i can work with to help get that -- if there's something i can work with to get thatitated i would greatly appreciate it. so this is an executive at an american fast food com

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, climate reporter at the "new york times." thanks for helping us do that. >> thank you. >> it will be interesting because as i intimated in the introduction here, this new scandal involving scott pruitt would appear to cross pretty directly into potential legal jeopardy for mr. pruitt. abusing your office to seek personal aid -- to see

goodbye scott pruitt.e news of these top staffers' resignations today, the day after news broke that scott pruitt had directed yet another senior epa staffer to ask the chick-fil-a corporation for help getting his wife a chick-fil-a franchise. by w of illurating l this government agencyight now, i want to show you th sponse when reporters got news of the first top staffer quitting mr. pruitt's staff today. this is from theatlantic.com,

comcast, building america's largest gig-speed network. >>> epa chief scott pruitt tangled p tangled up reached out to top donors if there was a job for his wife. let's talk to one of the reporters who broke this story, the washington post josh dosy. yet another one. walk us through this one. scott pruitt had one of his top epa aides along with a donor work for several months to try to find his wife a paid position in washington. eventually she was given a job as a conservat judicial crisis network which is a right-wing group which pushes for conservative judges that they don't deem is conservative enough. he relied on people who have business in front of the agency and a senior epa aide for this extensive search to make sure his wife was getting a paycheck every month. >> you also report that there was one of these people who they went to approach to hire her, one of these donors who said they couldn't hire her because of a conflict of interest. that's the right answer, but then what did the pruitt team do? >> so that part of the story derived from himeaching out to a texas donor who h

ever seen yor source that i've talked to regarding scott pruitt maintains that scott pruitt's relationship with some very influential people in the energy sector are still very much behind him and that those folks have the president's ear. until he's not in lock step with some of these dominant forces in the energy industry, i don't see this hurting him. where this becomes problematic and where this becomes more of a poght, when you have folks in the ethanol industry led of course by two republican senators from iowa, chuck grassley and joni earnst, that becomes an inner republican fight and that's problematic from a political standpoint. i'm not sure they want to have a nomination fight ahead of the midterms. >> i meant the administrator to you. jonathan, 15 seconds. >> i don't think scott pruitt is going anywhere. seems cemented in there. up to the president personally and execute the policies he wants. >> headline that keeps on giving unfortunately i'm sure for money. that will do it for me. i'm richard lui. thanks for watcng. all of your fathers have a good father's day. yup. (butch ba

chief scott pruitt. s scandals haven't come from him working to destroy the environment. they've come from his side husband also. normally when you find out about corruption in d.c. it makes you mad, millions in bribes! but with every pruitt revelation you go, what? >> this morning the controversies keep coming for e.p.a. chief scott pruitt. e-mails show pruitt had one of his people reach out to chick-fil-a. >> he used his position to get his wife a franchise with chick-fil-a. even more astonishing, it's all in writing in government e-mails. >> trevor: you know, i will be honest, this is not the fast fort hood scandal i saw coming out of the white house. if anything, i thought it would be trump getting in trouble for pardoning the hamburglar. in case you didn't know, the hamburglar is in prison. he was trafficking fentanyl. horrible story. ( laughter ) think about this for a second -- you're the head of a major government agency with influence over some of the biggest corporations in the world, and you de

trump: administrator scott pruitt, thank you, scott. epa is doing really, really well. somebody has to say that about you a little bit. you know that, scott. amy: calls are growing for epa administrator scott pruitt to resign as he faces more than a dozen ethics investigations. but behind the scenes, he is radically reshaping the epa. the chemical industry has just been handed a major victory as the epa scaled back the way it determines the risks of the most dangerous chemicals on the market. then as protests resume in gaza we look at how the israeli military is attempting to frame the palestinian medic razan al najjar who was shot dead last week by an israeli sniper. and we go to afghanistan where afghan president ashraf ghani has announced a temporary ceasefire with the taliban. a move haiailed by nato. >> it is a positive step forward on the path to peace. nato fully supports an afghan led an afghan owned peace and reconciliation process. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. donald

scott pruitt is standing strong in his job. defense of scott pruitt. jimmy (shouting): james! he's survived record rain and a supplier that went belly up. so while he's proud to have helped put a roof over the heads of hundreds of families, he's most proud of the one he's kept over his own. brand vo: get the most out of your money, whether you're using quickbooks smart invoicing to get paid twice as fast or automatically tracking your mileage. smarter business tools for the world's hardest workers. quickbooks. backing you. ithe race for governort. has turned into a scam. gavin newsom's trying to elect a republican who was endorsed by trump. and villaraigosa's being bankrolled by a handful of billionaires. it's everything that's wrong with politics. and none of it is helping struggling families. here's my pledge to you. i'll keep our budget balanced. invest in affordable housing. fight for universal healthcare. and stand up to donald trump. as governor, you can trust me to do what's right- because i always have. a crazy bit of breaking news. scott pru sit still employed. he rem

scott pruitt. this time he reportedly asked a top aide to reach out to republican donors who might hook his wife up with a job. >>> and trumped. another blow to a republican who has spoken out against the president. mark sanford voted out of office last night and emphasizes yet again the gop is now the party of trump. so where do all of the republicans who do not agree with the president find a political home? get to that. >>> we start with breaking news in the michael cohen case. nbc news has learned cohen is expected to split with his attorneys and get new lawyers. we do not know whether this signals a change in legal strategy or, perhaps, future cooperation. cohen, of course, president trump's former personal attorney, and "vanity fair" reports that cohen could soon be indicted. we have details this afternoon from "vanity fai gabe sherman, also an msnbc contributor. daniel goldman, former assistant u.s. attorney for the southern district of new york, and msnbc legal analyst danny is a vauv loe -

democrats will bring his name up. >> president trump seems to have made the decision now, that scott pruittwhere he is. otherwise, like tom price, pruitt would be gone by now. democrats are veseizing on the issue. do you see it as something that'll last into the midterms or no? >> i think democrats will make scott pruitt an issue for the midterms. they're determined to don't, whether the environmental groups or the candidates. if he stays in his job and, right now, you mentioned president trump is supportive of his staying, he'll be an issue. we'll see how it connects to voters. democrats see scott pruitt as one of the best examples they can give of, as you put it, the swamp. they do plan to try to bring this to the -- bring this out for voters as they head to the polls in the fall. >> thank you for coming on the show. >>> up next, we're headed to the border. within the last hour, a senator from nevada was turned away from a detention center she'd been scheduled to tour. we're live on the ground with one of our reporters who is with her, minutes from now. we have a mission: to help hand eve

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

join today for a $10 bonus. >>> new allegations of swampy behavior by epa chief scott pruitt. he washington post" reporting today that pruitt got tickets to the rose bowl back in january from a public relations executive based in his home state of oklahoma. the executive has a large energy practice. add this to the staggering list of scandals dogging scott pruitt. just two days ago it was revealed he had a top aide contact republican donors to help his wife land a job with a conservative political group. remember that $50 a night sweetheart deal for a lobbyist condo in washington, d.c. or, perhaps you recall the $43,000 soundproof phone booth that was installed in his office for privacy. nonetheless, president trump standing by his guy. >> scott's done a fantastic job at epa. but you know -- i'm not happy about certain things. >> is his job safe? >> i'm not happy about certain things but he's done a fantastic job running the epa which is very overriding. >> back with me now, charlie sykes, contributing editor for "the weekly standard." dana milbank, political columnist for "the

. >> the new propaganda push to safe scott pruitt. >> scott pruitt is standing strong in his job. >> plus, new evidence of a russian attempt to hack state voter systems. >>> and rebecca trayce traister on the # glaring difference between samantha bee and roseanne barr. >> americans are finally paying attention. >> when "all in" starts right now. >>> good evening from new york. i'm chris hayes with two big foreign policy moves just today, the president is turning away from the western democracies that have for decades been america's closest allies, aligning the u.s. instead with autocrats and strongmen who practice the type of leadership that this president admires. in the process he is reshaping our relationship to the rest of the world. the president announced today his june 12th summit is back on fulfilling a long time goal. north koreans meeting with the u.s. president without securing concessions in return. the announcement came after the president welcomed a top aide of kim jong-un to the white house later bragging to the press corps about their strong relationship. >> it was ac

i can understand the left doesn't like what scott pruitt is doing and attack but why does scott pruittm so many opportunities in such targeted rich environment. i may agree with a lot of what he's doing at the epa. i think we're over regulated but we want to have a balance. he continues to give them reasons and excuses to investigate him and make him an endless cycle of bad news stories. >> indeed. there's plenty of reasons to argue on both sides about the level of regulation. >> sure. >> the fact he's violated every single one of these in these instances that are alleged. he has gone so far beyond the pail of what is proper and legal. this is the president defending him again today. >> scott pruitt is doing a great job within the walls of the epa. we're setting records. outside he's being attacked viciously by the press. i'm not saying he's blameless but we'll see what happens. >> stephanie. where do you start with scott pruitt? >> these are not things that the left is creating. these are self-induced issues. we're not sending staff to the ritz carlton to find moisturizer. hee is. we'

all day strong. >>> two top aides to scott pruitt have resigned. pment of the growing list of controversies surrounding mr. pruitt. they were set to receive 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

john brasso would not tell me if he had confidence in scott pruitt. see those ig reports, so perhaps that could change. >> we're talking about complex regulatory matters, a lot of people don't always use their security as much. let's just go through. in the past week. daily beast on thursday, scott pruitt made them fetch protein bars and yogurt. picking up his dry cleaning, his moisturizing lotion. overstaying his welcome at lunch. scott pruitt sought business opportunity with chick-fil-a while leading epa. scott pruitt had security detail looking for a used trump hotel mattress. it's an administration, a republican president, a republican congress that had to answer, why did they pass this big spending bill? if you're going to be steward, asking your wife to get a job or pick up your dry cleaners, at this point the damage is sort of done, so to speak. . >> it's not nice, ethical use of taxpayer dollars and reasonable limits on your. >> i need some lotion, let's drive to the ritz. >> there was a paired few weeks ago when scott pruitt was openly in tro

but back to scott pruitt. drew griffin joins me now. and pruitt had a bizarre response ts story about him trying to get his wife a chick-fil-a franchise. >> which makes it even worse. scott pruitt didn't see anything wrong with the move and calling chick filla a franchise of faith and excited about the possibility of bringing one of the franchises to tulsa. the presideupport pruitt but increasingly republicans on capitol hill finding it hard to do. one republican senator, john kennedy of mississippi today said of pruitt, he's acting like a moron. scott pruitt tried to use his position as head of the environmental protection agency to get his wife a franchise chick-fil-a. as astonishing as that sounds, more astonishing, it is all in writing in government e-mails. on may 16th, 2017 pruitt's former aide sydney hop from her official account writes to chick-fil-a, administrator pruitt asked me to reach outo you aut a potential meeting. da later a second message and the administrator would like to about a potential business opportun with mr. k

scott pruitt is standing strong in his job.int engineers, sprint offers 50% off a samsung galaxy s9 lease. we must tell all humans. you should find joanne in marketing a.s.a.p. joanne in marketing. switch to sprint and get 50% off a samsung galaxy s9 lease. for people with hearing loss, switch to sprint and get 50% off a samsung galaxy s9 lease. visit sprintrelay.com. you always get the lowest price on our rooms, guaranteed?m let's get someone to say it with a really low voice. carl? lowest price guaranteed. what about the world's lowest limbo stick? defense of scott pruitt. in his job. nice one, carl. hey i've got an idea. just say, badda book. badda boom. badda book. badda boom. nice. always the lowest price, guaranteed. book now at choicehotels.com you might or joints.hing for your heart... but do you take something for your brain. with an ingredient originally found in jellyfish, prevagen is the number one selling brain-health supplement in drug stores nationwide. prevagen. the name to remember. ithe race for governort. has

scott pruitt repordly t enlist an aidt theepa to help him with a personal task, the task of securing a potential businepportuni his wied to become chick-fil-a franchisee owner, the aide reached out to chick-fil-a to the ceo of chick-fil-a to set up a call between pruitt and she said it was a persol request on behalf of 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

i'm going to go with scott pruitt here, carol.t all of the allegations against him, sort the he's managed his personal and mixed his politics and profession. you now have his home state senator calling, probably saying it's time for him to go. not quite. laura ingraham, a media voice from the conservative side saying it is a time to go. yet president trump seems to almost embrace the fact that everybody hates pruitt, and he almost wants to keep him in there in spite of theed a gagss. is that what's going on here? >> or to spite everybody else. there is definitely elements of that going on here. you have a president who is digging in and defiant as to what he sees a the media establishment and others who are out to get him. it's almost as if he sees some of himself in this -- in what know, the interesting thing to watch here to me media and the commentators do and tuned intoularly and if that drum beats start to really build. that could change his calculus. >> michael l, just as she said that, national review became the latest to s

watch. >> administrator scott pruitt, thank you, scott, very much.is doing really, really well and, you know, somebody has to say that about you a little bit. you know that, scott. but you have done -- i tell you, the epa is doing so well. >> it's the awkward laughter from a couple people next to scott pruitt at that moment here. i was scolded recently by a source who said, god, do you think dems will be happy if they get this scalp? is that where it will end? that was the attitude of the person inside the administration. it feels aggrieved about it. even those who don't like his behavior. >> they don't like scott pruitt for the ethics infactions against him but for the agenda he's implementing or that he's rolling back president obama's initiatives. what would it take at this point for the president to cut him loose. >> andrew. >> the support has broken. have joni ernst, the senator from iowa, not anyone's idea of a flame thrower as swampy as you get. interesting thing, hallie, some republicans who are now criticizing him don't like is that he's goi

>>> and as i saw that picture, as i was there with that pastor -- >> that's epa administrator scott pruittting heckling during a speech today amid new accusations of blatant misconduct. so the latest is that pruitt may have violated federal rules by demanding that his $3 million-plus security detail run errands for him including picking up his dry cleaning, and finding his favorite high-end moisturizing lotion at the ritz-carlton. they come in little bottles at the ritz-carlton. >>> and three senate democrats are calling for an internal investigation of claims that pruitt tried to get work for his wife on multiple occasions. one of those democrats is with us and on the committee of environment and public works. good to see you. you're not alone in this criticism nor is your party. here is pictures of colleagues in the house today using visual aids to show the used mattress he reportedly wanted from a trump hotel. lotion requested by pruitt, and some of the stuff fellow republicans have said about pruitt. let me play that. >> the appearance of impropriety matters. the waste of taxpayer mone

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 e.p.a. administrator scott pruitt rented a condo here on citol hill for $50 per night. the administrator said that the condo owner did not lobby him, but then it was discovered later that, in fact, that was not true. that was a lie. just in the past couple -- just in the past week it's now been discovered that e.p.a. h

so the president is quite happy with what scott pruitt is doing.er how many used mattresses or ringside seats, lotion -- lotions in -- the guy is like a quentin tarantino character out of a movie but he's not going any where because the president likes what he's doing and it will take a criminal investigation to get him out of office and maybe that won't happen, maybe he'll pardon him to or maybe a pardon for tony soprano and the guy is there and will stay there as long atz president wants him there. >> and that is a fair point because the next question is how does he still have a job but elena, that is why because the president is happy with what he's doing in terms of his work. >> exactly. and i think one thing that i think is really important to stress when talking about scott pruitt, the other day i reported that milan hop resigned after her name being caught up in the headlines about being tasked to call about the used mattress and all of the ridiculous things and yet ultimately she's the one who feels she needs to resign. so i think what gets

and one of the things that has been really bothersome is the fact that so many -- it's not just scott pruitt but so many republicans in congress will put up with almost anything in order to get the policies they want. so they do it with trump. they'll do it with pruitt. if he's doing things that fit what their agenda is, they will swallow any kind of corruption, any kind of ridiculousness. it doesn't -- nothing will bother them as long as they get the policy they want. now, i spent 12 years on the appropriations committee. and what we would have done with what scott pruitt is doing now is the next budget would have prohibitions against spending money certain ways or it would have stuff cut from the budget, you know, to make up for what he has been spending this way. the congress is complicit in this by its silence. >> i was struck i think today cbs news had a story that republicans are ready to ditch scott pruitt because of the scandals, though they stand behind his deregulatory agenda. and i think that's what -- listen, when steve bannon, who's coming closer back into this administration, t

embattled epa administrator today even as new details emerged about yet another scandal involving scott pruittstory for us. pruitt is facing more ethics questions tonight. >> reporter: yeah. pruitt's latest scandal involves the head of the epa trying to cook up a business deal for his wife, fast food restaurant franchise that he tried to arrange with the restaurant chain's ceo. scott pruitt apparently tried to use his position as head of the environmental protection agency to get his wife a franchise with chick fill a. even more astonishing it's all in writing in government e-mails. on may 16th, 2017, pruitt's former aide writes, administrator 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 mr. katcathy. it is just the latest in a long 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: earlie

here's some truth for scott pruitt. it is friday, june 8th and scott pruitt still has a job.you know it's bad when you are getting heckled by a bottle of lotion right there and your boss, he doesn't exactly have your back. >> scott pruitt is doing a great job within the walls of the epa. we're setting records. outside he's being attacked very viciously by the press. and i'm not saying that he's blameless. but we'll see what happens. >> he's being attacked viciously but maybe he has actually done something wrong. let's take a walk back down memory lane at the week that has been for scott pruitt, the week that was. monday we learned that he ordered a staffer to get him a used mattress from tour. when you're there he sleeps length wise and when you're gone he sleeps diagonal on his trump bed. tuesday reports that he tried to get his wife a chick-fil-a franchise. wednesday, a pair of aides decided they had enough and quit. thursday, turns out his security detail fetches his dry cleaning, favorite snacks and ritz-carlton moisturizer. not included in all of that, 15 -- count 'em --

epa scott pruitt is in hot water again.doesn't involve a used trump hotel mattress, doesn't involve ritz carlton moisturizing cream. this time it's yet another chapter in the job hunt saga. you want believe the sa nas s-- tenacity of the hunter. we're on swamp watch next. i'm only in my 60's. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with

book now at choicehotels.com >>> another controversy involving epa chief scott pruitt. pruitt used one of his aides to ask republican donors to find his wife a job. joining us now is the former director of the office of government ethics walter schaub. another day, another episode of what did scott pruitt do now? what is he thinking? >> there seems to be no bottom to this ethics catastrophe with scott pruitt. he just keeps expanding the list of ethics violations and nobody's doing anything about it. you can't even pretend there's an ethics program any more when you got him running around inventing new ways to violate ethics rules. in no other administration would this man still have his job. >> he's the scroll of things he's done. you need a magnifying glass in order to read these. there's so many of them. he rent this had room from well below market price, he was constantly dining at the white house mess hall until they had to ask him to eat someplace else. it was not supposed to be for him. he used an aide to inquire about a chick-fil-a business opportunity. he spent n

scott pruitt is getting roasted. not only by comedians but also members of congress. >> you can just go on the internet, search for ritz carlton lotion. he could have just ordered it without using his taxpayer-funded staff. >> more on that. >>> tonight, we're getting ready for the hot 97 radio deejays takeover of fall back friday. i'm arie melber. you're watching the beat on msnbc. yup. (butch barks at man) butch is like an old soul that just hates my guts. (laughs) (vo) you can never have too many faithful companions. that's why i got a subaru crosstrek. love is out there. find it in a subaru crosstrek. ...to give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you don't. i'll take that. [cheers] 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. new ensure max protein. in two great flavors. ♪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 transitions™ light under control™ visit your local visionworks to ask about transitions™ brand lenses the first survivor visof ais

find our most advanced formula exclusively at the home depot. >>> 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

. >> i want to turn to scott pruitt and the ethics scandal that just won't seem to let up. recent reports say aides to pruitt were made to bring him yogurt, protein bars, pick up lotion, go mattress shopping. here's what president trump had to say about the whole thing. >> scott pruitt is doing a great job within the walls of the epa. we're setting records. outside, he's being attacked very viciously by the press. and i'm not saying that he's blameless, but we'll see what happens. >> erica, is this a turning point for scott pruitt as head of the epa? >> well, you've seen president trump hold this steadfast support of scott pruitt through this long list of scandals that might have toppled any other administration official. it's president trump, he's the one who matters when it comes to scott pruitt's job security, but the scandals are starting to take a toll. you have seen president trump say for the first time, i'm not saying he's blameless, and anything coming out of the epa is now colored by this long list of ethics questions. >> erin, what's your take on that? >> so, for

can you find a reason to continue defend scott pruitt now? >> absolutely. i think the president was very candid and right to the point when asked the question b about administrator pruitt today. he said scott pruitt is doing a great job within the walls of the epa and the president's points out the deregulation. the paris deal. i think he's doing very good b job with that. there's the misleading story that proout was spending a bunch of money to go to the g-p meeting anduin the chick-fil-a story is way overblown. it's not as if he was asking for free chick-fil-a for life. he made a phone call because his wife wanted to purchase a franchise. that he needs to make some of these headlines go away and not have some come up. these are goofy. you can't send staffers on these runs for you. you're going to have a higher degree of scrutiny at this level and the administrator has to be extra careful. >> of course i want to get you to jump in, but on the money issue, put g-7 aside. he's spent like double what they've spent previous epa administrators have spent on an a

epa chief scott pruitt under fire. and he's now accused of reaching out to the head of chick-fil-a to help his wife land a franchise. here's abc's kyra phillips tonight with the e-mails from prui pruitt's staff as they were reaching out to chick-fil-a, all to help his wife. >> reporter: tonight, epa administrator scott pruitt defending himself amid revelations he tried to use his official clout to get his wife marilyn a franchise with fast food chain chick-fil-a. >> my wife is an entrepreneur herself. i love, she loves, we love -- chick-fil-a is a franchise of faith. >> reporter: last may, pruitt's official epa scheduler emailed chick-fil-a's ceo directly. the subject line, "meeting with administrator scott pruitt." the scheduler writing, "the administrator asked me to reach out to you." she then worked with chick-fil-a to set up a call, adding, "the administrator would like to talk about a potential business opportunity." pruitt eventually spoke with someone at the company, telling abc news the subject of that phone c

take a look at what the president had to say. >> scott pruitt, thank you, scott, very much.eally well, and you know, somebody has to say that about you a little bit. you know that, scott, but you have done -- i tell you the epa is doing so well, so many approvals and disapprovals, if they don't qualify they don't qualify but we don't have to wait 15 years to tell somebody they don't qualify and people are really impressed with the job that's being done at the epa. thank you very much, scott. >> and the president's comments come as a growing number of republicans have decided they've had enough of pruitt es problems. several lawmakers say their patience with the chief is running thin. politico says there are many lawmakers now publicly questioning whether pruitt can hang on to the job amid the unending stream of scandals. speaking yesterday, hatch had a word of advice for the administrator. >> i think he has to be very careful because you know, it's important that people believe that he's a person that they can trust and will do the job without -- without influence one way or

scott pruitt has become the greatest liability in the administration. omes the roasting from mattress gate to moisture gate. this is not "snl." this is congress roasting pruitt with props, citing his odd scandals from having aides try to get him a used trump tower mat res and having his aides driving around looking for lotion he could have bought online. >> he's using taxpayer dollars to ask for and try to find used trump mattresses. >> he had his personal security detail, paid for at taxpayer expension drive around to ritz carlton's trying to find lotion. there is this thing known as an internet. he could have just ordered it. >> to paraphrase lauren hill, pruitt may think he's more uncomfortable than two cleopatras, but he's still willing to flip it in the swamp on a dirty mat res. pruitt found himself facing protests today by -- i want to be fair. this is something many, many politicians do have to deal with. you have probably seen it before. i'm talking about, of course, lotion he can hcklers. >> i was there with that pastor. >> leave, leave! >> get

and then you've got sort of this oklahoma mafia around scott pruitt, many of whom have left since all these scandals have come out. but what are the republicans saying about why scott pru witness should keep on rocking in that seat while he's got 14 other investigations going on? i've got to believe there's other members of the gop who could say, i could handle it. >> reporter: no, think that's right, stephanie. scott pruitt is on thin ice with congress. republicans are frustrated about all these different ethical scandals that keep popping up. you doy he from members who say surely there must be someone else who could do this job. there's also a growing number of republicans from ethanol states who feel like pruitt is not dealing fairly with them on the basic parts of his job as epa director. when i say he's running out of friends in congress, he is under increasing scrutiny here. fewer and fewer people are interested in defending him. but as long as the president of the united states thinks he's doing his job well, he's the only person that can fire him or force him to step aside. >

. >> jake, it seemsin conceivable, this justice department would open a criminal probe against scott pruitt to the epa inspector general, that office is investigating pruitt. >> drew griffin, thank you so much. let's bring back the panel. paul, let me start with you. i can't recall as a matter of historical fact any cabinet official that has brought this many embarrassing scandals on to the administration for which he works. just whether or not you like scott pruitt or not, i can't think of anyone like that. >> i can't. go way back, james watt under reagan didn't do a third of this and he got run out -- >> and he do d one of the 30 things and he got -- >> and this is what puzzled me. donald trump is our president because he and people like david urban have an unfailing -- pitch fork or tuning fork for middle america -- >> drain the swamp. >> yes and that is the appeal. he's to rich to buy. and we'll clear the swamp and this is what they could understand, he's sending security guards out to buy lotion for his precious hands. he's trying to strong arm chick-fil-a -- and they are delicious, le

why did scott pruitt want an old motel mattress?tified to this about members of the house oversight committee, and i quote, as i remember, the administrator had spoken with someone at the trump hotel, who had indicated that there could be a mattress that he could purchase, an old mattress that he could purchase, but that's the extent of the conversation that i can, that i can remember. question, do you know why he would want to purchase an old mattress from the trump hotel? answer, i do not. i also do not. who in their right mind and/or not living in a dorm wants an old mattress from a hotel? one that's obviously been used a lot? clearly, scott pruitt hasn't learned a thing from the queer eye reboot. >> so, tom, have you ever shopped for a mattress before? >> no. >> what?! >> my last mattress i bought -- >> you just said you didn't ever shop for a [ bleep ] mattress. >> after my last divorce, i bought mine from an individual offline. online. >> so let's never do that again. mattresses aren't the best thing to buy used. >> again, i r

there is clearly with scott pruitt a pattern of graft and corruption. question is are they mere ethics violations or does it rise to the level of criminality? i they've all the things being investigated chick-fil-a probably does not rise to the level criminality. but the notion that he was staying in the lobbyist's apartment or condominium while at the same time being influenced by that lobbyist or client of that lobbyist does raise significant questions of pay to play. but brian, to your point of myself and former colleagues, i would say it's also fair at this point with scott pruitt to ask questions of his own personal integrity. every public official when they step foot in that job has to make a decision, are they going to use the office for their own enrichment, for the trappings of power they can surround themselves with or are they going to own up to a certain higher level of public trust, higher level of stewardship? in this case i think it's clear scott pruitt has chosen the former, not the latter. >> jill, how will you know a tipping point if a

i want to ask you about scott pruitt and it seems we could start a weekly segment about a scott pruitt's good. >> do you think so? >> at this rate. >> i was going to say. give us a sense, give some context and perspective. is what scott pruitt is doing in terms of buying tactical pants and polos and some of these things, is that normal for a cabinet member and even normal for somebody -- >> almost $5 million worth. >> according to the feedback we have seen from lawmakers even within the republican party and the president himself and some administration officials they don't like what's going on here. the question is how long can this possibly go forward and you talk to some republicans and they say, well, you know, the epa administrator is implementing the policies of the president, conservative policies as they pertain to the environment, but on the same token you do have some saying this is just untenable at this point and there is a question, too, of how a replacement could get confirmed in this body. so that could be some factor leading into -- >> it really seem that president trump

well, president trump started by appointing scott pruitt to head the e.p.a. corruption oozes out of his office. [laughter] from wasting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to cutting dealso make himself rich to doing the bidding of the highest paid lobbyists. consider clean water. the clean water rule is designed to protect drinking water, but industry opposes the rule because it means they can't dump toxic chemicals in the water or spread toxic waste on ground where it might run into drinking water. and since industry doesn't like the clean water rule, scott pruitt has come up with a plan for ending it. or think about pesticides. three years ago the e.p.a. decided to ban a dangerous pesticide that puts our ildren at risk. but right after scott pruitt met with the c.e.o. of dow chemical, the rule was gone. or power. the clean power plan is the biggest step we have taken to fight against climate change, but once scott pruitt met with executives from big coal, the e.p.a. announced its plans to end the rule. in just over a year, the administration has work

well, president trump started by appoting scott pruitt head the e.p.a. corruption oozes out of his office. ter] from wasting hundreds of ounds ofyer doll cutting deals to make himself rich to doing the bidding of the highest paid lobbyists. consider clean water.the ean wad to protect drinking water, but industry opposes the rule because it means they can't dump toxic chemicals in the water or spread toxic waste on ground where it might run into drinking water. and since industry doesn't like the cln terule, sct pruitt has come up with a plan for ending it. or think about pesticides. three years ago the e.p.a. decided to ban a dangerous pesticide that puts our children at risk. but right after scott pruitt met with the c.e.o. of dow chemical, the rule was gone. or power. the clean power plan is the biggest step we have taken to fight against climate change, but once scott pruitt met with executives from big coalth e.p.a. announced its plans to end the rule. in just over a year, the administration has worked to roll back more than 60 environmental rules, f

and the president likes scott pruitt. as we have reported and others have, chief of staff john kelly said he should be fired. not much support in the west wing. in fact, there is very little. a lot of support for him so far in the oval office. that's the decision that matters at the end of the day. and i think the president is also concerned about the narrative there has been too many shakeups in the administration. they have been saying we don't have time for any more hearings. we don't have time to confirm anyone else. if you nominate someone else, we may not be able to confirm them quickly. that's a decision the administration wants to take carefully. >> next topic which you are also reporteding on, the president's penchant for pardons. he, as you know, was sort of lobbied by kim kardashian to pardon alice marie johnson. she was convicted for drug possession, money laundering. currently serving a life sentence. kim kardashian west showed up at the white house. somehow this is causing consternation. what's your report s

of course, it's long been clear that shame does not really work on scott pruitt. lord knows we've tried on this program or on his boss, the president of the united states. despite pruitt's cartoonishly long list of transgressions which include a sweetheart deal on a condo belonging to i an lobbyist who had business before his agency and excessive spending on security and first class travel, president drain the swamp today lauded had his epa chief for a job well done. >> and administrator scott pruitt, thank you 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. people are really impressed with the job being done at the epa. thank you very much, scott. >> hupp was not today's only resignation. alsoing shin was another aide. senior counsel sarah greenwald. both hupp and green wald came with pruitt from oklahoma where he had been attorney general. earlier this year we learned pruitt tried to circumvent the white house and give both individuals massive raises. >> if you're committed to the t

>>>righ w fallout fornirator scott prui. pruittsin his government position for reportedly trying to score his wife a chick-fil-a franchise. pruitt directed an aide in the epa. and pruitt now in 15 investigations involving spending on travel and security among other things. the white house is still sticking by their man for now. >> 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. >> msnbc's garrett haake live om the hill with "money, power and politics." this one covers it all, my friend? >> it should go without saying but it is against the rules to try to get a job or a favor or anything of value for you, a family member or yourself, this flies in the face of those rules. when you and i talked yesterday, i said that scott pruitt is increasingly running out ofnd on capitol hill. i have tupdate that, it seems like he's a man without a country on capitol hill. he's losing allies fast. even his home state senator