Praying to the leader

It has been an honor to serve you in the Cabinet as Administrator of the EPA. Truly, your confidence in me has blessed me personally and enabled me to advance your agenda beyond what anyone anticipated at the beginning of your Administration. Your courage, steadfastness and resolute commitment to get results for the American people, both with regard to improved environmental outcomes as well as historical regulatory reform, is in fact occurring at an unprecedented pace and I thank you for the opportunity to serve you and the American people in helping achieve those ends.

That is why it is hard for me to advise you I am stepping down as Administrator of the EPA effective as of July 6. It is extremely difficult for me to cease serving you in this role first because I count it a blessing to be serving you in any capacity, but also, because of the transformative work that is occurring. However, the unrelenting attacks on me personally, my family, are unprecedented and have taken a sizable toll on all of us.

My desire in service to you has always been to bless you as you make important decisions for the American people. I believe you are serving as President today because of God's providence. I believe that same providence brought me into your service. I pray as I have served you that I have blessed you and enabled you to effectively lead the American people. Thank you again Mr. President for the honor of serving you and I wish you Godspeed in all that you put your hand to.

Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt survived months of reports on his unethical behavior by lavishing praise on President Donald Trump and making himself a visible figure in the West Wing, The Washington Post reported Thursday evening.

Pruitt mechanically praised the President, calling him “brilliant” and a “political revolutionary,” in the Post’s words. The two men bonded over their shared paranoia, regularly grousing about the “deep state” and former aides who they thought collaborated to upend their agenda, according to White House officials familiar with the meetings who spoke to the Post.

Trump reportedly enjoyed Pruitt’s presence too, and tried to ignore the constant barrage of news reports on his EPA chief’s scandals, which ranged from excessive spending on flights to scrubbing his official calendar to hide controversial meetings.

But despite the consistent praise, Trump finally decided by Thursday morning that Pruitt’s behavior was too much of a political burden for him to bear. He directed his staff to ask for Pruitt’s resignation without speaking to him and tweeted about the ouster after he received the letter.

By then, Pruitt had few fans left in the White House, according to officials who spoke to the Post.