John Kelly warned Trump last week to fire embattled Scott Pruitt — but the president continues to ignore him

White House chief of staff John Kelly urged President Donald Trump last week to dump his embattled EPA chief -- but Scott Pruitt remains on the job for now.

Kelly and other White House aides have decided Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency, had become a liability amid a widening ethics scandal, but the president isn't ready to remove him, reported the Wall Street Journal.

Trump defended Pruitt in a tweet Friday, saying the EPA chief was doing a "great job" despite being "TOTALLY under siege."

A White House official told the Journal that Trump wasn't ready to fire Pruitt because he likes his deregulation measures and thinks the EPA chief is a strong advocate for his agenda.