STEPHANIE RUHLE (HOST): Noelle, I don't want to put you in the hot seat, like, “Hey, Republican, what do you think about that?” But in all seriousness, Scott Pruitt's defense here was, “The ethics guy said it was OK.” Well, except today they are not, so now what position does this put Mr. Pruitt in?

NOELLE NIKPOUR (REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST): Can I leave now, Stephanie? Here's the thing. I, first of all, love Ed Henry for doing that. Because I think Scott Pruitt came on thinking he was going to get a little bit of a softball. And he did not. And kudos to Ed Henry for pushing it. And I think what’s happened is he is trying to save his job. He is trying to put this off on staff, staff doing this, staff doing that, and unnamed staff doing this. But in reality, he’s got to take responsibility. He’s got to man up to some of the things that happened underneath his [inaudible] because after all, you’ve got to look at it, it starts from the top. I mean, all these things going on underneath him, he has no idea what’s going on -- how can you--

RUHLE: OK, so you’re giving us a rational response here.

NIKPOUR: But. But, I will say one thing: He is doing some good things for the EPA. If you're a Republican. Like the sue and settle -- he has cracked down on that practice, which has been really critical.

....

NIKPOUR: And he’s done a good job, Stephanie. This is the sad part. This is really sad because I was at a luncheon not too long ago, or a dinner, where Scott Pruitt was listing all the things and telling all the things that he'd done. He's really doing a great job.

RUHLE: OK, he's doing a good job -- he’s doing a good job for people who do not believe climate change exists. He's doing a good job for good old boys in Oklahoma from the oil and gas industry where he comes from. He's doing a good job if Scott Pruitt's plan is to go on home after this and run for governor. But for people who actually care about the environment, he's not doing a good job.

Related:

CNN: EPA ethics official says he didn't have all the facts on Pruitt's lease

Fox News: EPA's Scott Pruitt pushes back on pay raise, condo controversy in Fox News exclusive

Vox: Scott Pruitt is slowly strangling the EPA

Previously:

The top 6 tricks Scott Pruitt uses to outfox the media

Under fire for scandals, EPA head Scott Pruitt again turns to right-wing media

A timeline of scandals and ethical shortfalls at Scott Pruitt's EPA

After dropping the ball during the election, major networks are now covering the climate impacts of a Trump administration