Despite getting unceremoniously booted from the White House, former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt may be welcomed with open arms back in Oklahoma, according to a Sunday New York Times report.
Though it is not yet clear if Pruitt and his family will return to his home state, some prominent politicians there seem to consider him a victim of the liberal mob whose dedication to deregulation outweighs any personal scandals.
“Whatever Scott Pruitt’s problems, whether they were self-inflicted or not, it really doesn’t matter, in my view, because his approach was correct, and that needs to continue,” Dewey F. Bartlett Jr., former Tulsa mayor, told the New York Times. “Now, how Scott will be welcomed back in Tulsa, back in Oklahoma, that will be okay.”
“It’s not like ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,’ necessarily,” he continued. “But I think he’s been seen as a person who tried hard, was pretty successful, and got beat up pretty bad.”
“I think Oklahomans still love him, support him and trust him,” Pam Pollard, the state party chairwoman, told The Associated Press. “We’ll give him the opportunity to tell his side of the story.”
There is reportedly some buzz that Pruitt could run for Sen. James Inhofe’s (R-OK) seat, should the 83-year-old retire soon.
