Scott Pruitt, the former Trump-era EPA Administrator who resigned amidst several ethics controversies in 2018 isn’t finished with politics.
He filed Friday as a candidate for the U.S. Senate, running for the Republican nomination to succeed Sen. Jim Inhofe who announced in February he plans to retire in 2023. Inhofe is 87.
Reports had surfaced weeks ago that Pruitt, a former Oklahoma Attorney General who resigned to take the appointment to head the Environmental Protection Agency in the Trump administration, was raising money for a Senate bid.
Pruitt, 53, was one of 11 candidates who paid the $2,000 filing fee to run for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Among others is Republican congressman Markwayne Mullin.
As Administrator at the EPA, Pruitt was targeted by Democrats and environmentalists for targeting several Obama-era environmental protections for rollbacks and changes.
He also came under criticism over a $50 per night deal to rent a condo co-owned by the wife of an energy lobbyist. Pruitt also came under fire for the expense of a soundproof booth in his office, his practice of choosing first-class for air travel and expenditures on his security detail.