A report from the Interior Department Inspector General (IG) found that former secretary Ryan Zinke misused his official position, violated his ethical obligations, and did not comply with his duty of candor when negotiating with a developer about a potential real estate project and brewpub in Whitefish, Montana.
The real estate project, known as 95 Karrow, is financially backed by David Lesar, who was the chairman of oil giant Halliburton at the time. Zinke started The Great Northern Veterans Peace Park foundation and was president of the organization before resigning to serve as Interior secretary. The foundation owns a 14-acre lot adjacent to the project site and initially agreed to allow developers to build a parking lot on the foundation’s land, where Zinke also had hopes of opening a microbrewery. Zinke stayed in constant contact with project developers while in office and even after stepping down as the foundation’s president. According to the IG report, Zinke “played an extensive, direct, and substantive role in representing the Foundation during negotiations” on the project.
The IG report found that Zinke knowingly made “incorrect and incomplete” statements to Interior Department ethics officials about his involvement with the project and directed his subordinates to arrange a meeting with the developers in his government office, followed by a dinner and personal tour of the Lincoln Memorial. The report contradicts Zinke’s previous statements to the press, in which he denied having any involvement in the brewpub’s development.
Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala said in a statement, “The Inspector General just confirmed what we’ve known all along—corruption was rampant in the Trump administration. Self-dealing like this was par for the course. Ryan Zinke only got fired because he got caught.”
Investigators referred the matter to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution but the agency declined to pursue a criminal case. “It’s unfortunate that Attorney General Garland declined to pursue a criminal case against Secretary Zinke,” said CWP’s Rokala. “The IG report makes it clear that Zinke broke the law when he ordered his staff to facilitate a meeting and private tour with the developers, one of whom was a top executive at Halliburton. Even though Trump is no longer in office, the Justice Department has an obligation to hold his administration accountable when cabinet secretaries flout the law and their ethics pledges.”
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Watchdog: Trump Interior secretary violated ethics rules, misused office
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The challenging and necessary task of changing place names on public lands
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Reviewing names of the mountains, mesas, canyons and deserts of America’s public lands will present a formidable geographic challenge. Revisiting American history challenges all of us, but our nation and our culture are not static. We look back so that we can move forward.”
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(featured image: Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Photo: Gage Skidmore)