DRUMBEAT

Third Republican Member of Congress Calls for Scott Pruitt’s Resignation

Rep. Elise Stefanik said so at a town hall meeting Thursday, joining fellow GOP Reps. Curbelo and Ros-Lehtinen.

A third Republican member of Congress has now called for the resignation of embattled Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) on Thursday joined fellow Republican Reps. Carlos Curbelo (FL) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL) in calling upon Pruitt to exit the EPA over multiple ethics scandals.

“Congresswoman Stefanik believes it’s in the best interest of the EPA for Mr. Pruitt to resign,” a spokesperson for the New York congresswoman told The Daily Beast. “She will continue to be a strong advocate in Congress for environmental issues that affect our district, which is the proud home of the Adirondacks.”

Stefanik initially made the remarks at a town hall meeting in South Glens Falls.

On Tuesday, as the controversy ballooned around Pruitt’s stay at a Washington D.C. townhouse and its links to a prominent energy lobbyist who previously funded some of his political campaigns, two Florida Republicans also said he should quit immediately.

“Major policy differences aside, @EPAScottPruitt’s corruption scandals are an embarrassment to the Administration, and his conduct is grossly disrespectful to American taxpayers,” Curbelo, who is running for re-election in an extremely competitive South Florida district, tweeted. “It’s time for him to resign or for @POTUS to dismiss him.”

Ros-Lehtinen, who is retiring after this session, told CNN afterwards that she concurred.

“I agree with my colleague, Carlos, that the EPA administrator should resign,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “When scandals and distractions overtake a public servant’s ability to function effectively, another person should fill that role.”

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Gideon ResnickPolitical Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.