Scott Pruitt.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, facing at least 11 federal investigations, has resigned, President Trump announced Thursday. "Within the agency, Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this," Trump tweeted.

Pruitt allegedly used his staff to find his wife a job, spent thousands to fly first class and buy a spy-proof phone booth, and paid a lobbyist's wife $50 a night to stay in her Washington, D.C., condo, among other scandals. As Pruitt's scandals mounted over the past year, many were amazed he hung on. Axios reported this spring that Pruitt "survives because the one guy who matters in the White House won't fire him ... Most everyone else in the building wants him gone."

Pruitt's deputy, Andrew Wheeler, will start as acting administrator of the EPA on Monday.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.