Horsemen of the Trumpocalypse The most dangerous people in America.
By John Nichols and Steve Brodner August 24, 2017
Scott Pruitt Mr. Secrets and Lies Who is he?
Allied with the Koch brothers and big oil, Pruitt organized opposition to environmental regulations as Oklahoma’s attorney general. Naturally, he was Trump’s choice to head the EPA, where he immediately announced that he did not believe carbon pollution was a major cause of climate change. Why is he dangerous? Pruitt is a man on a mission, and he has the political connections to advance it. Closely tied to the industries that have turned the Republican Party into a vehicle for climate-change denial, Pruitt’s appointment satisfies key GOP donors. He’ll have maximum support from the White House and Congress as he disembowels environmental protections. What’s his weakness?
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell had to pull out all the stops to get Pruitt confirmed, as the Center for Media and Democracy had just forced the release of documents that confirmed his alliances with climate-change denialists. He’s also plagued by lawsuits and investigations because, as Senator Sheldon Whitehouse says, “This guy ran his own dark-money operation.”
John NicholsTwitterJohn Nichols is The Nation’s national-affairs correspondent. He is the author of Horsemen of the Trumpocalypse: A Field Guide to the Most Dangerous People in America, forthcoming from Nation Books this fall, and co-author, with Robert W. McChesney, of People Get Ready: The Fight Against a Jobless Economy and a Citizenless Democracy.
Steve BrodnerTwitterSteve Brodner, a leading artist in the world of political satire and caricature, is a long time contributor to The Nation.
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