Imagine getting up in the morning and driving to a broadcast facility to defend... Scott Pruitt. Why, it's almost enough to make you feel sorry for Rick Santorum!
But not quite. On CNN's New Day today, Santorum tried to make Scott Pruitt's high-on-the-hog spending sound reasonable.
"He says he was harassed a lot when he was flying in coach. Is it the best thing? Probably not. But it is is a reaction to the fact that this man is doing a job that is controversial and he is getting a lot of flack for it?" he said.
Alisyn Camerota snapped back with, "Is there a force field in first class that nobody can get to?"
"No. This guy has more ethics problems than all of these others," Jennifer Granholm said.
"I want people to know what we're talking about. This is what critics say," Camerota said.
"He rented a condo from the wife of a D.C. lobbyist. That alone might raise eyebrows. He has it under market at $50 a night. He's given raises to two people he knows for a long time, they call them friends. and they are substantial raises. He spent tens of thousands on luxury travel, including lots of first class tickets. in terms of policy, the water preservation process, critics don't like how he has handled that. But that's different."
"The worst stuff is this swampy corruption stuff," Granholm said. "He rented this place from the wife of a lobbyist at the time when the EPA is approving pipelines for liquefied natural gas. This particular lobbying firm represented those clients. He got this sweetheart deal below market rate.
"Here's the biggest thing. Scott Pruitt wants to be president. And this issue of his -- they love him. His ego has grown very large. And so he thinks he's bigger or better than the White House. He approves raises for people the White House said no to. Is he going to get his picture on the cover of TIME? Is he getting a little too big for his britches?"
Santorum then jumped in to defend Pruitt's pay raises for his pals, and tried to make it sound like someone did it without his knowledge.
"These are two people super close to him," Granholm retorted. "One, including his scheduler. People he brought in from Oklahoma."
Santorum then praised Pruitt and said he'd take him at his word. Camerota and Granholm were appropriately skeptical.
