Four years after leaving the Environmental Protection Agency amid several ethics investigations, Scott Pruitt is considering running for an open Senate seat in Oklahoma, three people familiar with the matter told CBS News.
Before becoming head of the EPA during the Trump administration, Pruitt was Oklahoma's attorney general. In February, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) announced he will retire at the end of the year, and Pruitt has been calling prominent Republicans to see if they would support him running for the seat, CBS News says.
Several Republicans have already said they are running in the GOP primary, including Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin; former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon; and Luke Holland, Inhofe's former chief of staff. The primary is set for June 28, and Pruitt has until April 15 to enter the race.
While at the EPA, Pruitt embraced the fossil fuel industry, questioned the science of climate change, and rolled back environmental rules and regulations. He was also plagued by ethics scandals, with investigations opened into his spending millions of dollars on security and travel and a Washington, D.C., condo he rented from an energy lobbyist for just $50 a night.