As long as Scott Pruitt continues to serve the desires of the oiligarchs, he has nothing to fear from Donald Trump.
Just today, as news broke that Pruitt told aides to try and get him a used mattress from Trump Hotels and asked another aide to intervene on behalf of his wife to get a Chick-Fil-A franchise, Donald Trump stepped in with a vote of confidence.
" EPA is doing really, really well," Trump crowed, "And you know somebody has to say that about you a little bit."
Pruitt preened a little bit, don't you think?
Even Shep Smith was nonplussed, as was John Roberts. Smith, with a tone of incredulity, wondered aloud if you were supposed to use your Cabinet position to secure franchise opportunities for your wife, as if this was a thing that happened all the time.
It does happen all the time in this administration. Since Trump's praise moment, two of Pruitt's aide's have resigned, one of whom is connected to Pruitt's bizarre Chick-Fil-A request.
Yet, Pruitt survives. Why? My theory is that as long as he does the bidding of the oiligarchs, he can be as corrupt as he wants. Oh sure, Republicans might squirm and whine as they are wont to do, but all roads lead back to petrochemical dollars, whether Koch, Russians, or someone else.
The corruption is just a part of the perks of the job.
UPDATE: In swampy fashion, when a reporter asked for comment about the staff departures, EPA spokesman Jahan Wilcox told The Atlantic's Elaina Plott, "You're a piece of trash."
He seems nice. I'll bet Pruitt was giggling from his soundproof phone booth.
