Ryan Zinke broke federal ethics rules while serving as secretary of the Interior under former President Donald Trump, the Interior Department's internal watchdog said Wednesday.
According to The Washington Post, Zinke, who served one term in the House of Representatives before joining Trump's cabinet, committed ethical breaches by "improperly participating in real estate negotiations with the chairman of the energy giant Halliburton at the time and other developers … to discuss the design of a large commercial and residential development in his hometown of Whitefish, Montana." Zinke also reportedly had federal employees set up his meetings with those developers.
Zinke's family foundation, which his wife, Lola, runs, had agreed to donate a parking lot for the project. David J. Lesar, the then-chairman of Halliburton, funded the development group.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Interior Department Inspector General Mark Greenblatt's 32-page report concludes that, despite Zinke's ethical violations, he did not break the law. Per the Post, the "did not find evidence that Zinke had used his position to benefit Halliburton or for his own financial gain." The Post also notes, however, that "the project had the potential to increase the value of multiple parcels of land the Zinkes owned nearby."
Zinke resigned in January 2019 after being plagued by scandal throughout his tenure as secretary. He drew criticism for taking 66 personal days in his first 18 months as secretary and quickly became the subject of at least three investigations. He also falsely claimed to be a geologist more than 40 times. By late 2018, Trump was considering firing him.
Zinke became a lobbyist after resigning and is now running for a second term in the House of Representatives.
-
The ‘menopause gold rush’Under the Radar Women vulnerable to misinformation and marketing of ‘unregulated’ products
-
Voting Rights Act: SCOTUS’s pivotal decisionFeature A Supreme Court ruling against the Voting Rights Act could allow Republicans to redraw districts and solidify control of the House
-
No Kings rally: What did it achieve?Feature The latest ‘No Kings’ march has become the largest protest in U.S. history
-
No Kings rally: What did it achieve?
Feature The latest ‘No Kings’ march has become the largest protest in U.S. history
-
Push for Ukraine ceasefire collapsesFeature Talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were called off after the Russian president refused to compromise on his demands
-
Trump eyes regime change in VenezuelaFeature Officials believe Trump’s ‘war on narco-terrorism’ is actually a push to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
‘Social media is the new tabloid’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are ICE’s recruitment woes complicating Trump’s immigration agenda?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Lowered training standards and ‘athletically allergic’ hopefuls are hindering the White House plan to turn the Department of Homeland Security into a federal police force
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
Donald Trump’s week in Asia: can he shift power away from China?Today's Big Question US president’s whirlwind week of diplomacy aims to bolster economic ties and de-escalate trade war with China
-
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s rebellion: Maga hardliner turns on TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
