A Pruitt Aide's Attack on Zinke Angers the White House

[spotthebird]

Source: The Atlantic

As Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt faces a seemingly endless stream of scandal, his team is scrambling to divert the spotlight to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. And the White House isn’t happy about it.

In the last week, a member of Pruitt’s press team, Michael Abboud, has been shopping negative stories about Zinke to multiple outlets, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the efforts, as well as correspondence reviewed by The Atlantic.

....
Abboud alleged to reporters that an Interior staffer conspired with former EPA deputy chief of staff Kevin Chmielewski to leak damaging information about the EPA, as part of a rivalry between Zinke and Pruitt. The collaboration, Abboud claimed, allowed the Interior staffer to prop up Zinke at the expense of Pruitt, and Chmielewski to “get back” at his former boss.

....
A White House official with knowledge of the events added: “Absolutely nothing Scott Pruitt did would surprise me.”
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more..

Read more: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/05/epa-leaks/559607/

[lagomorph777]

1. Dueling scandals! I love it!

Can we place bets?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Michael Abboud

Here are More than 1,000 Officials Trump has Quietly Deployed Across the Government
By Al Shaw and Derek Kravitz, ProPublica, March 8, 2017

Updated August 31, 2017

[turbinetree]

3. Must be best friends, buds you might say......................

[TygrBright]

4. "part of a rivalry between Zinke and Pruitt": Who can fuck America harder/faster? n/t

[Me.]

5. Rats Biting Off Each Other's Leg

[BigmanPigman]

6. Maybe they can duke it out between themselves

and save the taxpayers time and money. Maybe they can get a two for one deal at the local prison.

[tanyev]

7. Oh, goody! A GOP circular firing squad.

[riversedge]

8. Scoop: A member of Scott Pruitt's press team tried to plant a damaging story about Ryan Zinke's team

NO honor among Thieves and crooks!


Elaina Plott
‏Verified account @elainaplott

Scoop: A member of Scott Pruitt's press team tried to plant a damaging story about Ryan Zinke's team to "take the heat off" Pruitt. The White House caught him, asked if they had authority to fire him.

Link to tweet