The Department of Justice is reportedly investigating Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke

The Department of Justice is investigating Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke due to a referral from his department's inspector general, CNN reported Tuesday.

It's unclear which of the ongoing probes into Zinke this concerns, since there are at least three, but a White House official told The Washington Post that the DOJ's investigation would be into whether Zinke "used his office to help himself."

One of the three probes is investigating Zinke's involvement in a Montana land development deal after he became secretary of the interior, The Washington Post reports. The deal was backed by the chairman of the oil firm Halliburton, Politico reported in June, opening the interior secretary up to possible complaints of a conflict of interest. Another concerns a casino deal that Zinke did not approve after a nearby casino competitor lobbied against it. Additionally, the Interior Department's inspector general is looking into whether Zinke had a monument's boundaries changed in order to benefit a lawmaker in the area, CNN reports.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

This comes a few weeks after the department's inspector general said in a report that Zinke was advised not to have his wife travel with him in government vehicles, also being warned against bringing her on as a volunteer so she wouldn't have to reimburse the department for travel costs, per The Washington Post. Zinke is reportedly expected to leave the Trump administration after next week's election.