Ministry of Justice investigating whether Zinke lied to the Inspector General

The Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice examines whether the Secretary of State for the Interior, Ryan Zinke, recently missing, allegedly lied to the investigators general of his agency , according to three people familiar with the case, a possible criminal offense that would exacerbate Zinke's legal problems.

Zinke, who left the Trump Administration on Wednesday, faced two Inspector General investigations related to his real estate transactions in his state of Montana and his involvement in the review of a casino project proposed by Native American tribes in Connecticut. During this work, the investigators general of the inspector eventually believed that Zinke had lied to them and they had returned the case to the Department of Justice so that he would determine if laws had been raped, said people familiar with the case.

The integrity section has since examined the case, said people familiar with the subject. One of the defendants apparently interviewed witnesses apparently for the purpose of examining Zinke's story.

[Zinke’s own agency watchdog just referred him to the Justice Department]

A spokesman for Zinke said that Zinke had voluntarily participated in two interviews with the Inspector General on Tribal Connecticut. and "to the best of his knowledge, answered all questions truthfully." The spokesman said that Zinke had not been contacted by the Justice Ministry and that revelations about it violated the protocols of the Inspector General and the Ministry of Justice.

On Wednesday, Zinke wrote a letter of farewell to the staff and posted a handwritten note on Twitter but did not mention the ethical allegations that led to his departure.

"When I was scout, I had learned to leave the campsite better than I had found it" wrote to the 70,000 Interior employees. "I am convinced that in the past two years we have done it together for our public lands and the Department of the Interior."

A spokesman for the Department of Justice refused to comment.

The interest of the Department of Justice in this case is significant, noting that prosecutors felt that Zinke's story was suspect and merited further examination. Department officials, however, have not yet decided whether he should be charged, the police said.

The crime of false statements can be difficult to prove because it forces investigators to show a person "knowingly and willingly" lied, rather than simply misrepresented a fact. Zinke's resignation could also make him a less attractive target for prosecutors.

Several former Trump advisers pleaded guilty to lying to investigators or to Congress, including his first National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, and a former campaign counselor, George Papadopoulos.

Zinke, who had resigned last month, had been under intense pressure to withdraw because of evidence of his conduct, although President Trump misplaced him for other reasons also, according to him. a person familiar with the subject. In particular, this person stated that Trump was upset that Zinke did not challenge Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) In last year's election and on how Zinke handled the plan from administration to extend drilling at sea.

[White House concerned Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated federal rules]

Last January, Zinke flew to Florida and, without consulting the White House, announced at a press conference with the governor of the time. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) Interior would exempt the Crown from drilling at sea. This decision raised ethical issues and caused an uproar among governors whose coastal states were affected by the plan.

It was not known exactly what Zinke had been lying about, but people who knew the subject said that it was not a land deal Zinke had an agreement with the president from oil services giant Halliburton, in his hometown of Whitefish, Mt. The Inspector General of the Interior has considered this problem as a possible conflict of interest.

The Inspector General also examined Zinke's involvement in a dispute over an offer of two Native American tribes to operate a casino in East Windsor, Connecticut [19659018]. The quarrel over the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes' quest to jointly operate a gaming center sparked intense lobbying as the result affects the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars in annual gaming revenue. The tribes claim that Zinke succumbed to political pressure by refusing their request.

The two tribes called on the federal government to operate the off-reserve commercial casino as part of an agreement with Connecticut officials, which provided for an amended agreement to secure the new operation. would provide 25 percent of its revenue in slot machines to the state.

MGM Resorts International objected because the casino would compete with its gaming complex located 20 miles away in Springfield, Mass., And could jeopardize its chances of opening a casino in Connecticut .

According to interviews with current and former employees and documents issued under the Freedom of Information Act, officials from the interior – including staff members Careers and even Trump appointees – were about to approve the agreement this summer. But finally, the ministry refused to approve Mashantucket Pequot's proposal, thus commencing a trial of the tribe and state of Connecticut

In September, US District Judge Rudolph Contreras rejected the tribe's original request. The Mohegan tribe is withdrawn from the dispute after Interior has admitted the validity of its gambling agreement in June

But the tribe – which had almost been wiped out by the British – continued to argue his arguments. She sought to change her claim in October, claiming in court documents that Interior staff had "prepared tentative letters of approval" on October 8, 2017, but then informed the tribes a week later. late that it would not give any follow-up to the petition, thus hindering the project. . The tribe has accused "the Dean Heller Department and Nevada Republican Representative Mark Amodei, congressional members of Nevada Congress, of" finally giving way under the weight of exaggerated political pressures. "

Nor Heller, who has since left the Senate, was re-elected last year, nor Amodei, could be contacted immediately for comment.

The same document states that "Senator Heller directly pressured Secretary Zinke to do all that was necessary to end the Tribes Joint Venture casino project at a private dinner at a steakhouse in Las Vegas on or about July 30, 2017. "Zinke's official calendar shows that he was in Las Vegas that day, before boarding a plane for a night flight to Washington, but did not mention his activities there.

With Zinke gone. Senator Richard Blumenthal ( D-Conn.) Try to get his successor to approve the changes to the Tribal State Pact, so that the East Windsor casino can continue. The state legislators in Connecticut are also considering adopting new legislation that would eliminate the requirement for tribes to obtain interior approval before continuing with the casino.