Report: Benton could soon be out at the EPA
Don Benton, a former Washington state senator from Vancouver and early supporter of Donald Trump’s campaign for president, could soon be looking for a job, according to a report in Politico.
In case you haven’t been paying attention, Benton landed a job earlier this year as a senior White House adviser at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Since he landed that job, reports have surfaced that he’s getting on the nerves of EPA staff. The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, reported that Benton has piped up so frequently at the agency that he’s been shut out of meetings.
On Tuesday, Politico ran a story with potentially more bad news for Benton. The story centers on how EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is taking heat from conservatives for not taking a more aggressive approach toward uprooting the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan. Citing unnamed sources, the story also reports on internal turmoil at the agency, some of it surrounding Benton.
From Politico:
Meanwhile, EPA officials have expressed frustration at the presence of former Washington State Sen. Don Benton, the agency’s White House-assigned senior adviser.
Benton has repeatedly butted heads with Ryan Jackson, Pruitt’s chief of staff. Multiple sources speculated that Benton might soon leave the agency.
Benton’s last environment-related job was directing Clark County’s Department of Environmental Services. After he lost the job due to a county reorganization, he filed a lawsuit against the county.
