“Secretary of the Interior @RyanZinke will be leaving the Administration at the end of the year after having served for a period of almost two years. Ryan has accomplished much during his tenure and I want to thank him for his service to our Nation,” Trump wrote in a tweet.
The President continued in a second tweet: ” … The Trump Administration will be announcing the new Secretary of the Interior next week.”
The departure comes amid multiple ethics investigations into Zinke.
The Interior inspector general has multiple inquiries into the secretary, including the department’s handling of a Connecticut casino project, whether the boundaries for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument were redrawn to benefit a state lawmaker, and conversations between Zinke and Halliburton Chairman David Lesar about a land development project in Zinke’s hometown of Whitefish, Montana.
“I follow all rules, procedures, regulations and most importantly the law,” he told CNN. “This is another politically driven investigation that has no merit.”
Zinke launched an ambitious energy development agenda, including a reassessment of the entire nation’s offshore energy potential.
Zinke often mentioned the President’s experience as a builder when championing an effort to secure funding to rebuild aging infrastructure at national parks and other sites.
The departure from Interior may not be Zinke’s final turn in the spotlight. A former congressman, state legislator and Navy seal, Zinke had been mentioned as a potential candidate for Montana governor.
This story is developing and will be updated.
Source : Nbcnewyork