John Oliver Takes on Scott Pruitt: “Youve Got a Country to Ruin!”
[embedded content] Despite his unending scandals, Scott Pruitt is still clinging to his job in the ..
Despite his unending scandals, Scott Pruitt is still clinging to his job in the White House. In the last few days, the head of the E.P.A. has been embroiled in numerous embarrassing controversies due to his outsized spending of taxpayer dollars and the recent revelation that hes lived in an energy lobbyists townhouse for the past year for just $50 a night (whats more jarring, the clear conflict of interest, or the ridiculously low price?). However, hes still got a thumbs up from Donald Trump, who tweeted on Thursday that Pruitts doing “a great job!” Well, that wasnt good enough for John Oliver, who dedicated a searing segment on Sundays Last Week Tonight to explore all of Pruitts various, damning bumbles.
He started by breaking down Pruitts spending habits. The E.P.A. head has reportedly spent $832,735 in the first quarter of his term alone, much of it on first-class flights and 24/7 security. He takes his guys everywhere, including, allegedly, on a personal trip to the Rose Bowl and Disneyland.
“On one hand, that does seem wasteful, but on the other hand if anyone needs security at Disney, its Scott Pruitt,” Oliver began. “A man who even Mickey and Minnie Mouse would tell to go fuck himself. Space Mountains gonna be underwater in 10 years, you son of a bitch!”
Olivers team also found that Pruitts LinkedIn page (seemingly last updated for his previous job as attorney general of Oklahoma) still boasts that hes “a leading advocate against the E.P.A.s activist agenda.” Cool! Nothing to see here! Oliver then tucked into the bizarre housing situation, which Pruitt tried to explain away in an uncomfortable Fox News interview. “Its market rate,” Pruitt said, adding that viewers can go on Craigslist and find similarly priced digs. Well, Oliver likes a dare, doesnt he? His team went on Airbnb to find rooms for $50 and found, among other sumptuous offerings, a host that promised a “glistening” bedroom (“Oh, why is it glistening, though?” Oliver asked), and another that was explicitly for a leather couch named Black Beauty.
There was also another minor Pruitt scandal when it was reported that his body guards broke down the door of his (er, the lobbyists) condo on a past Wednesday afternoon in order to respond to what they thought was an emergency, because Pruitt wasnt answering his cell phone. In actuality, he was just taking a little daytime nap. Oliver, however, couldnt believe the gall of the Cabinet member for taking a midday nap despite his busy government job.
“Get the fuck up, Pruitt!” Oliver shouted. “Youve got a country to ruin!”
Get Vanity Fairs HWD NewsletterSign up for essential industry and award news from Hollywood.Full ScreenPhotos:The Star-Studded Comedy Bash That Got New Yorkers Laughing Post-TrumpYohana DestaYohana Desta is a Hollywood writer for VanityFair.com.
