Washington (CNN)Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inhofe said Wednesday he was nearing his limit with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and that an agreeable alternative would be to replace Pruitt with his deputy.
“One of the alternatives would be for him to leave that job,” Inhofe said. “I would say this, that there’s a guy behind him in (EPA Deputy Administrator) Andrew Wheeler who is really qualified too, so that might be a good swap.”
Inhofe, in the interview with conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, expressed regret about his disappointment with Pruitt, whom he called a “good friend.” Both Inhofe and Pruitt are Oklahoma Republicans who were sharp critics of Obama-era environmental regulations.
Citing their shared background and beliefs, Inhofe said he was surprised by the near-constant churn of bruising stories about Pruitt’s ethics and personal conduct in office.
“All these things that are coming out are really not good things,” Inhofe said, adding later, “So I’ve kind of taken the position, if that doesn’t stop, I’m going to be forced to be in a position where I’m gonna say, well, Scott, you’re not doing your job.”
Inhofe made clear to reporters in the Capitol on Wednesday that he was “absolutely not” calling for Pruitt to resign. But Inhofe said he would like to talk to Pruitt about the “piling on” of ethics allegations so he can assess what is true and what is not.
“I’ve said there are…
