FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 29, 2020
Assistant Secretary Doug Domenech helped a close family member secure a job at the Environmental Protection Agency
DENVER—The Interior Department Inspector General found that Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs Doug Domenech violated multiple ethics rules by successfully helping a close family member secure employment at the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the Associated Press. The Inspector General found Domenech also violated ethics laws by using government resources to promote another family member’s private business.
This is the second time the Inspector General found Domenech has violated ethics rules. Shortly after joining the Interior Department, Domenech met multiple times with his former employer, the Koch-backed Texas Public Policy Foundation. In the meetings, TPPF, Domenech, and senior Interior officials discussed two lawsuits the organization had filed against the Interior Department over an endangered species listing and a private property dispute near the Red River. Shortly after the meetings, the Interior Department settled the Red River lawsuit, which TPPF celebrated as a “major win for private property rights.”
Similarly, in emails following the meetings, Domenech told TPPF’s top lawyer to “keep fighting” with litigation to remove the Bone Cave harvestman, a spider found in Texas, from the Endangered Species List. In October 2019, the Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would review whether to delist the Bone Cave harvestman after finding such an action may be warranted.
In response, the Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jennifer Rokala:
“Secretary Bernhardt should have fired Domenech the moment this report hit his desk. Bernhardt talks about creating a culture of ethics, but he turns a blind eye when one of his top lieutenants delivers favors for his family and former employer.
“The Interior Department has an immense mission, to conserve our parks and public lands on behalf of all Americans. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has stocked the agency with swamp creatures who just view our public lands—and their government positions—as something to cash in on.”
LEARN MORE
- Interior Official Broke Ethics Rules, Government Watchdog Concludes [New York Times, December 2019]
- A top DOI official allegedly violated federal ethics rules. FOIA documents shed light on his apparent misdeeds [Pacific Standard, July 2019]