On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump reportedly offered the position of secretary of the interior to Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), Politico reported, citing two transition officials. The freshman congressman reportedly has not yet accepted Trump's offer, and it's not clear "as to which way he's leaning," Politico said. If Zinke were to accept, he would be in charge of managing federal lands and controlling offshore drilling.
Zinke has been a Trump supporter since last May, and he stuck with him throughout the entirety of his presidential campaign. However, Republicans are also rumored to be eyeing Zinke to run for the Montana Senate seat in 2018 against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.
Trump and Zinke, a former Navy Seal commander, met Monday at Trump Tower. Zinke declined to comment to Politico about the alleged offer, and Trump's transition team did not immediately respond for comment.
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Trump was also reported to be considering Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) to lead the Interior Department.
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