New Federal Investigation into Zinke’s Shady Land Deal Adds to Long List of Unethical Behavior

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The inspector general of the Department of the Interior launched a probe yesterday evening into a real estate deal between a foundation established by Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and the chairman of Halliburton, David Lesar.

The investigation is the eleventh confirmed investigation into Secretary Zinke’s conduct.

In response to the announcement from the inspector general, Nicole Ghio, Senior Program Manager at Friends of the Earth issued the following statement:

Zinke’s scandals are the definition of corruption and conflict of interest. Secretary Zinke will personally profit from his foundation’s deal with the chairman of dirty energy giant Halliburton. Meanwhile, Halliburton is already benefiting from Zinke’s giveaways to Big Oil and the rollback of safety standards at the expense of communities and the environment.

As the most scandal plagued cabinet secretary in the Trump Administration, the newest investigation into Zinke’s is only the latest outrageous chapter in a long history of misconduct. From unnecessary taxpayer-funded chartered flights to potentially violating the Hatch Act by mixing work and campaign travel, Zinke has repeatedly disregarded the trust of the American people.

It is time for Zinke to be fired. Congress must exercise its oversight authority and act to protect our public lands, our communities and our planet.

Expert contact: Nicole Ghio, (510) 900-8061, [email protected]
Communications contact: Patrick Davis, (202) 222-0744, [email protected]