Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt met with President Trump to make a case for keeping his job as ethical scandals engulf the embattled administrator.

White House chief of staff John Kelly wants to fire Pruitt, who faces mounting criticism for frequent taxpayer-funded travel, living in a Capitol Hill condo owned by the wife of a fossil-fuel-industry lobbyist, big pay hikes to top aides, and millions spent on beefed-up security. The House Oversight Committee has begun probing the sweetheart condo deal, a GOP source told The Hill late Friday.

Trump, along with meeting Pruitt Friday, tweeted that he is “TOTALLY under siege.” On Saturday, Trump reiterated his support, downplaying Pruitt’s spending habits and saying the EPA chief was “doing a great job!”

Conservative leaders also came to Pruitt’s defense on Friday, sending a letter to Trump urging him to keep the “courageous and qualified administrator,” Politico reported.

With Wire Services