WASHINGTON _ Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has told associates he would be willing to lead the Justice Department, should the position become available, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The former Oklahoma attorney general has discussed the issue in recent days, amid perennial speculation about the longevity of the Justice Department's current chief, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, said the person who asked not to be named describing internal conversations.
The disclosure comes amid reports that President Donald Trump pressed Sessions not to recuse himself from the Justice Department's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
Sessions' spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores declined to comment.
Pruitt, who has been discussed as a possible candidate for an Oklahoma seat in the U.S. Senate, stressed his focus is on leading the EPA during an October interview with Bloomberg News, while signaling he would serve in other roles if it would help drive Trump's agenda.
"I am here because I really feel called to it," Pruitt said at the time. "You do what's before you, you do the best work you can, you bless the president _ I really serve to bless him and his process and help him form decisions and lead with direction here _ and then you see what opportunities present themselves in the future on how to better the agenda overall."
