Christie on Pruitt controversy: ‘I don’t know how you survive this one’

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Sunday expressed skepticism that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt will keep his job in the wake of a scandal over his living arrangement in Washington, D.C. 

ABC News reported last week that Pruit rented a bedroom in a Capitol Hill condo that is co-owned by the wife of an energy lobbyist.

“If Mr. Pruitt’s going to go, it’s because he never should have been there in the first place,” Christie said on ABC’s “This Week.”

{mosads}“I don’t know how you survive this one. And if he has to go, it’s because he never should have been there in the first place,” Christie added.

Pruitt was reportedly paying $50 per day to live in the property, but only when he slept there. He was able to use other amenities in the condo, and his adult daughter lived with him for a period of time without Pruitt or the daughter paying more.

The EPA’s top ethics official said Friday that Pruitt’s lease did not violate ethics rules.

Pruitt previously faced scrutiny following reports that he racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses by flying mostly first class since taking office last year. The EPA has said that Pruitt’s security detail made the decision to put him in first class to better protect him, due to confrontations in airports and on airplanes.