White House Chief of Staff John Kelly reportedly signed off on efforts to remove at least three Environmental Protection Agency staffers who were loyal to ousted administrator Scott Pruitt, the Daily Beast reported.
Sources with knowledge of the situation who spoke to the Daily Beast described the efforts to remove three Pruitt loyalists as a “purge” that was led by Kelly and other White House staffers who didn’t agree with Pruitt’s behavior. The three dismissed aides: spokesman Lincoln Ferguson, communications adviser Johan Wilcox and EPA deputy White House liaison Hayley Ford, who was reportedly “escorted” out of the building.
Kelly was reportedly one of most frustrated aides in the West Wing over Pruitt’s ongoing scandals, which spanned a wide array of unethical behavior and lavish spending.