BY MIRANDA GREEN
Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) didn’t mince words Thursday in his criticism of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt, calling him the “wrong person” for the job.
Speaking to a crowd at the California state Capitol in Sacramento, Schwarzenegger said of Pruitt, “He is, without any doubt, the wrong person at that place.”
Schwarzenegger added: “He does not represent the people. He only represents the special interests. He should be removed immediately.”
The former governor, who served from 2003 to 2011, was at the Capitol to receive an award from the state Air Resources Board.
In a speech after accepting the award — named for Dr. Arie J. Haagen-Smit, the first chair of the board — Schwarzenegger bemoaned the EPA’s policy shift under the Trump administration.
“Haagen-Smit was the man. Now, 50 years later, you have Trump appointing Pruitt to the EPA. What happened?” Schwarzenegger said. “This is so sad.”
Schwarzenegger has also been vocally critical of President Trump, challenging him throughout his campaign and presidency. In August Schwarzenegger posted a video of himself critiquing Trump’s handling of the violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., that left one counterprotester dead.
