Scott Pruitt Defends Buying a Chick-fil-A Franchise as Bringing Welcome Change to the EPA

Scott Pruitt commented Wednesday on his recent Chick-fil-A business venture, stating, “with great change comes great opposition” when referring to the “changes” he’s making at the Environmental Protection Agency. So, now it’s part of the EPA’s agenda to become involved with companies and own Chick-fil-A franchises? That’s a strange—greasy, even—change to make to an agency tasked with protecting the environment.

I asked Scott Pruitt a quick question about the reports he tried to help his wife become a Chick-fil-A franchisee.

“With great change comes, I think, opposition…I love, she loves [Chick-fil-A]” pic.twitter.com/gND2tdMq1e

— Jessica Smith (@JessicaASmith8) June 6, 2018

On Tuesday, a New York Times report revealed his attempts to create a “business opportunity” with Chick-fil-A. The business opportunity, as he calls it, seemed to be a little side hobby for his wife, whom he referred to as an “entrepreneur” in his statements on Wednesday. Basically, while 14 billion pounds of garbage is dumped in the ocean every year and the United States is credited with producing 30 percent of the world’s waste, our EPA head is more concerned with trying to buy a fast-food franchise for his wife. But don’t worry, it’s all a part of the changes that the administration is making, according to Pruitt: “There’s significant changes happening across, not only at the EPA, but across this administration and it’s needed.”

The Pruitt scandals haven’t stopped spiraling since Monday, when it was reported that he had a senior aide attempt to buy a used mattress from a Trump hotel. Every day,, there’s new information on just how much Pruitt has misused his role as the leader of the EPA, whether it’s a strange mattress purchase or buying a fast-food franchises, all of which is done by his aides when they should be, you know, doing EPA tasks.

Pruitt’s breezy attitude about all this is strange, considering the fact that he is currently facing 12 federal investigations. These investigations are looking into his use of EPA employees to complete personal tasks, as well as his overall spending and management decisions. These decisions are going to be hard to defend when Pruitt has spent money on first-class flights and a $50-a-night condominium lease he purchased from the wife of a lobbyist who currently has business before the EPA. Pair that with him sending his senior aide to apartment shop for him, a gross mattress and a Chick-fil-A franchise, and Pruitt may need to be a little more concerned than he is. As of now, he doesn’t seem concerned at all.

Pruitt seems to believe the administration will have his back, based on his latest statements. However, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated, “We continue to have concerns and look into those, and we’ll address them.” If that doesn’t sound negative enough to put a damper on Pruitt’s breezy mood, maybe the head of the Sierra Club’s comments will: Michael Brune, the Sierra Club’s executive director, stated that Pruitt has been “unethically and illegally seeking personal benefits because of the job Donald Trump has entrusted him with.”

Whether Pruitt realizes it—and he definitely doesn’t realize it—things aren’t looking good for him. His statements today reveal he doesn’t believe he did anything wrong with the fast-food franchise business venture. He said, “we love Chick-fil-A as a franchise, a faith, and it’s one of the best in the country,” going on to add that he wanted more of the fast-food chain across the country and laughing.