Query: President-elect Trump has selected a climate change skeptic to head the team in charge of the transition between Obama and Trump's Environmental Protection Agencies.

Relevant passages:
Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign <=SEP=> The 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump was formally launched on June 16, 2015, at Trump Tower in New York City. Trump was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election, having won the most state primaries, caucuses, and delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. He chose Mike Pence, the sitting Governor of Indiana, as his vice presidential running mate. On November 8, 2016, Trump and Pence were elected president and vice president of the United States. Trump's populist positions in opposition to illegal immigration and various trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, earned him support especially among voters who were male, white, blue-collar, working class, and those without college degrees.Many of Trump's remarks were controversial and helped his campaign garner extensive coverage by the mainstream media, trending topics, and social media. Trump's campaign rallies attracted large crowds as well as public controversy. Some of the events were marked by incidents of violence between Trump supporters and protesters, mistreatment of some journalists, and disruption by a large group of protesters who effectively shut down a major rally in Chicago. Trump himself was accused of inciting violence at his rallies.Trump's disdain for political correctness was a staple theme of his campaign and proved popular among his supporters. Many, including some mainstream commentators and some prominent Republicans, viewed him as appealing to racism, a charge that Trump has repeatedly denied. Trump's most polarizing and widely reported proposals were about issues of immigration and border security, especially his proposed deportation of all illegal immigrants, the proposed construction of a substantial wall on the Mexico–United States border at Mexican expense, his characterizations of many illegal Mexican immigrants as "criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc", and a temporary ban on foreign Muslims entering the U.S. (which he later modified to apply to people originating from countries which he described as having a history of terrorism against the United States or its allies).Opposition to Trump grew during his campaign among both Republicans (who viewed Trump as irrevocably damaging to the party and its chances of winning elections during and after 2016, leading to the coalescence of the Stop Trump movement) and Democrats (who decried Trump's anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim policies, his behavior toward critics, his treatment of the media, and his support from the ethno-nationalist alt-right). Although some prominent Republican leaders declined to endorse Trump after he won the Republican nomination, many Republican congress-members showed support for Trump and his policy positions despite major personal or political conflicts with him. Some such supporters of Trump's campaign were accused, by both conservatives and liberals, of prioritizing party loyalty and avoiding alienation of Trump supporters to ensure re-election, thereby refraining from condemning Trump's actions.On January 6, 2017, the United States government's intelligence agencies concluded that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 United States elections against the campaign of Hillary Clinton and in support of Trump. As president, Trump has repeatedly rejected the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence agencies.

Mike Pence <=SEP=> Michael Richard Pence ( born June 7 , 1959 ) is an American politician , lawyer , and the 48th and current Vice President of the United States . He previously served as the 50th Governor of Indiana from 2013 to 2017 .   Born and raised in Columbus , Indiana , Pence graduated from Hanover College and earned a law degree from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law before entering private practice . After losing two bids for a U.S. congressional seat in 1988 and 1990 , he became a conservative radio and television talk show host from 1994 to 1999 . Pence was elected to the United States Congress in 2000 and represented and in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013 . He served as the chairman of the House Republican Conference from 2009 to 2011 . Pence positioned himself as a principled ideologue and supporter of the Tea Party movement , noting he was `` a Christian , a conservative , and a Republican , in that order . ''   Upon becoming Governor of Indiana in January 2013 , Pence initiated the largest tax cut in Indiana 's history , pushed for more funding for education initiatives , and continued to increase the state 's budget surplus . Pence signed bills intended to restrict abortions , including one that prohibited abortions if the reason for the procedure was the fetus 's race , gender , or disability . Pence stirred several high-profile controversies , including with his signature of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act , for which he encountered fierce resistance from moderate members of his party , the business community , and LGBT advocates . He later signed an additional bill acting as an amendment intended to protect LGBT people .   On November 8 , 2016 , Pence was elected as Vice President , after he dropped out of his gubernatorial re-election campaign in July to become the vice presidential running mate for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump , who went on to win the presidential election .

Scott Pruitt <=SEP=> Edward Scott Pruitt ( born May 9 , 1968 ) is an American lawyer and Republican politician from the state of Oklahoma who is currently the 14th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency . Nominated by President Donald Trump in December 2016 , Pruitt was confirmed by the Senate to lead the EPA on February 17 , 2017 .   Pruitt represented Tulsa and Wagoner Counties in the Oklahoma Senate from 1998 until 2006 . In 2006 , Pruitt narrowly lost to Oklahoma Speaker of the House Todd Hiett in a bid for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma . In 2010 , Pruitt was elected Attorney General of Oklahoma . In that role , he was viewed as a proponent of federalism , supporting religious freedom laws and opposing abortion rights , same-sex marriage , the Affordable Care Act , and environmental regulations as a self-described `` leading advocate against the EPA 's activist agenda '' . He fought the agency 's efforts on climate and clear air in several lawsuits , often closely coordinating with the fossil fuel industry , which supported him with almost $ 300,000 in campaign contributions . In 2012 , Pruitt was elected as chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association , and re-elected for a second term in February 2013 .   Pruitt rejects the scientific consensus that human activities are a primary contributor to climate change . He specifically rejects the stance of the scientific community , including US agencies NASA and NOAA , that carbon dioxide is the primary contributor .