Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) proves once again that Republicans do not care one iota how corrupt, unethical, immoral or crooked someone is as long as they're a member of their own party, and enacting a political agenda they agree with.
Here's Rounds on this Sunday's Meet the Press telling host Chuck Todd that the complaints against EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt are "overblown." Anyone think he'd be taking these scandals so lightly if this was a Democratic administration and a Democratic EPA admin? Yeah, me either.
CHUCK TODD: Final question. Scott Pruitt a lot in the news. I can put up some of the allegations that have come out against him as far as how he's conducted himself in office with a lavish security detail, first class flights, things like that. Do you think he should still be E.P.A. administrator?
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: I do.
CHUCK TODD: Why?
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: I do, because he's following through with the, with the policies that the president said he wanted to implement. In terms of--
CHUCK TODD: When does, when does ethics matter, though?
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: It--
CHUCK TODD: Because Tom Price did less and was fired.
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: Look, the reason why, the reason why all of the emphasis right now is on Mr. Pruitt is because he is executing these policies. And they're not real popular policies with a lot of people. But he is executing the policies that this president said he would put in place.
CHUCK TODD: But does that justify this--
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: It’s, it's part of a--
CHUCK TODD: Does that justify this behavior?
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: Look, any time you start taking a look at all of the different activities, and I don't know how much of it is overblown and how much of it is accurate, to be honest. I'm not going to call it fake news. I'm going to say that, in some cases, we'll over-blow something. But in this particular case, Mr. Pruitt has been doing a good job as the secretary of the E.P.A.. He's moving forward exactly as this president said he would. And I'm going to give you a couple of examples.
CHUCK TODD: I know, but what's the message that's sent that, "Well, you know, ethics matter only when I like the job that they're, they’re doing."
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: Which--
CHUCK TODD: That they don't matter if they don't? I mean that's the problem.
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: Which--
CHUCK TODD: What's the mixed message?
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: Which one of the, of the challenges would you like to start-- would you like to say, "Oh, he has too big of a security detail?" Is that suddenly the reason why you fire someone?
CHUCK TODD: Yeah, at what point, though, does that accumulate and you're wondering, "He's not--
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: How about one where--
CHUCK TODD: --a steward of the taxpayer dollar?"
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: Well, look. Let's take a look at how many dollars the E.P.A. can actually save. The big picture. You know, we'll nitpick little things. He has too many people on his security detail. It may add up to, to more than what the previous guy did. But what about the big picture of, of, of how he's taking care of the stewar-- of the taxpayers' dollars with the department, the E.P.A.? And what about the regulations that he said he's going to clean up on that he is? And what about the response directly back out to allow businesses to actually grow and expand? Remember, this president said, number one, we had to have tax policy. We've got it. We said we had to have regulatory reform. We've got it. Scott Pruitt is a big part of that. He's executing what the president wants him to execute.
CHUCK TODD: Governor Rounds, I have to leave it there. Governor Rounds, you were a former governor. Senator Rounds--
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: Always a compliment.
CHUCK TODD: I, I was just going to say. I've never met a former governor who didn't prefer that title.
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: That's right.
CHUCK TODD: Thanks for coming in and sharing your views.
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS: Thank you. Appreciate it.
He's giving their campaign donors everything they want. That's all that matters to them.
