Trump's Reportedly Been Ignoring John Kelly's Advice To Fire Scott Pruitt For Days

For days, the press has watched with bated breath while trying to figure out whether or not Donald Trump will fire his embattled Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt. The latest report from The Wall Street Journal on Friday revealed that last week, John Kelly—Trump’s chief of staff—told the president that Pruitt needs to go.

The EPA chief has come under fire after mounting corruption scandals, which include renting a room co-owned by the wife of an energy lobbyist for just $50 a night, spending more than $100,000 on first-class airfare to avoid mixing with the plebes, and installing a $43,000 soundproof booth in his office. Just yesterday, it was reported that at least five EPA officials were reassigned or demoted after they raised concerns about Pruitt’s spending.

Of course, Trump doesn’t actually care about Pruitt’s ethical quagmires, and he probably cares even less about what Kelly has to say. Earlier today, the Associated Press reported that Trump was “tired of being told no” by his chief of staff and has even “mused about doing away” with Kelly’s job entirely.

During the White House press briefing on Friday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that “the president feels that the administrator has done a good job at EPA.” Trump also tweeted his support of Pruitt on Friday morning:

As long as Pruitt keeps his program of reckless deregulation up, Trump will likely continue to defend him. But if he does end up firing him, it likely won’t be because Kelly—or any other voice of relative reason—was able to break through.