The Morning Briefing: Pruitt Public Enemy #1 and Much, Much More

Good Thursday morning.

Here is what’s on the president’s agenda today:

The president receives his daily intelligence briefing
President Trump participates in a roundtable discussion on tax reform in White Sulphur Springs, W.V.

Pruitt: the latest target of the left

The hysterical left wing is absolutely batty over EPA director Scott Pruitt. Pruitt is blowing up the progressives’ beloved job-killing “environmental” policies we all suffered under during the Obama administration. After an eight-year hiatus from scrutinizing high-level political appointees, the media and progressive fronts have begun an assault on Trump’s EPA secretary. The media campaign against Pruitt reminds one of, dare I say, an echo chamber…

Mollie Hemingway at The Federalist nails it:

Scott Pruitt Is Trump's Biggest Asset, So The Left Wants Him Gone https://t.co/TEwPFryu3y

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) April 4, 2018

Well-funded environmental groups, many with former EPA staffers, deluge the agency with FOIA requests to catch someone in a scandal. Unlike how they covered Obama-era EPA administrators, media outlets constantly request information about everything Pruitt does, from his schedule to his travel particulars. Whipped-up partisans have made unprecedented numbers of death threats against him and his family. Powerful liberals opine against him.

And she makes this important point about Pruitt: “he has the courage that so many of his GOP peers lack, not being intimidated by the normal media frenzy that intimidates other Republican appointees.”

The progressive front, in which I include the media, have been clucking about Pruitt’s rental of a condo, failing to mention it was signed off on by the EPA’s ethics office. The Hill writes that Pruitt had “no fixed address” after he moved out of his apartment rental.

After Pruitt ended his housing arrangement in August, he appears to not have kept a D.C. residence and instead traveled for work and stayed at his home in Tulsa for weeks, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

In that time, he took an extended vacation during which he had knee surgery and recuperated at home while still working, before returning to EPA headquarters in D.C. on Sept. 5, according to the Post.

Oh, the humanity. Can you imagine this level of scrutiny of any Obama cabinet member? Lisa Jackson, one of Obama’s EPA honchos, used a fake email address to avoid transparency requirements and we didn’t see this level of breathless coverage. Flint water scandal? Gold King Mine fiasco? Not so much.

Your daily WTFs:

2 charged for allegedly smuggling 26 finches in hair curlers

Altamonte Springs woman set ex-boyfriend on fire during Easter dinner, police say

“Zombie-like” raccoons: Police probe calls about raccoons acting strangely in daytime

Historical picture of the day:

A bearded GI of the U.S. 1st air cavalry division keeps his trigger finger ready as he walks through thick jungle in South Vietnam’s Tay nine province one and one-half miles from Cambodia on April 5, 1970, in search of infiltrating troops of the 950 Viet Cong regiment. These Viet Cong are believed to have abandoned their traditional Cambodian sanctuary for South Vietnam. (AP Photo/Ryan)

Other morsels:

Chicago Suburb Bans ‘Assault Weapons’ – Begins Confiscation, Fines For Gun Owners

New York asks credit card companies to reassess risk of gun sales

Can you believe the nerve of this guy? And now some advice on filtering out fake news from Dan Rather

History Channel Cancels Clinton Impeachment Series

Pence heading to Nevada to raise money for Sen. Dean Heller

Koreas begin preparatory talks to set up Kim-Moon summit

Attempted border crossings surged in March

Sessions credits Trump with stopping migrant caravan

Facebook now says up to 87 million users’ data improperly shared

Twitter is so ‘toxic’ that Amnesty International is enlisting a ‘Troll Patrol’ to help police it

Twitter cracks down on accounts accused of spreading false info after YouTube shooting