By registering, you agree to receive POLITICO newsletters or alerts. In September, the secretary's wife, Lola Zinke, signed an agreement allowing developers, including Lesar, to build a parking lot for a major redevelopment project that could increase property values. from Zinke nearby. Properties. The project proponents also suggested that Zinke could wind up a microbrewery on the redevelopment site, POLITICO told the Whitefish planner.
House Democrats say Zinke's meeting with Lesar and the role of the foundation in the real estate business raises the question of whether Zinke used his office for personal gain
"The Secretary Zinke does not seem to take his responsibility seriously, "Grijalva told POLITICO in a statement. "He made it the Ryan Zinke show, which involves brandishing his own flag over the building and doing personal business with his friends instead of protecting public lands and improving the quality of This formal investigation is one of the many that it has managed to cram into its short and insignificant mandate, and I join my fellow Democrats in seeking transparency and accountability. that the Republicans have not yet provided. "
The Arrangement Suggests That President Halliburton According to Ethics Experts, Relationships Between the Minister of the Interior and the Ministry of the Interior Interior would be a source of conflicts of interest.
Critics argue that it is inappropriate that Zinke or his family participate in outside agreements with Halliburton.
"There is no business that benefits more from Secretary Zinke's attack on fracking standards than Halliburton, and there is no company that has been more successful. over the years to get politicians – from Vice President Dick Cheney to Secretary Zinke – to weaken the government's oversight of their fracking operations, "said Matt Lee-Ashley, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress who worked as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Interior during the Obama administration.
Following POLITICO 's reports on the agreement, House Democrats requested an investigation into potential conflicts of interest resulting from the agreement linking the secretary' s family to the president of one of the largest He is responsible for regulation. It took several months for the investigators to finish their work and publish a report on their findings.
The foundation's land remains little changed from when it was given by BNSF Railway in 2008, leading some locals to question Zinke's plan for the park. In the past, Zinke had promised local authorities that the foundation would use the land to build a park in honor of veterans and for eventual summer concerts. But the land remains undeveloped and a large retention pond dominates the site.
Government authorities have conducted several investigations on Zinke and others are ongoing, such as a review of IG lobbying on an unorthodox tribal gambling decision. The IG Bureau examined the use of chartered flights by Zinke and found that even though the ministry did not violate any law, the ethics officials were prevented from operating under the law. perform a thorough review of a trip because Zinke did not reveal the role played by a significant donor. The Office of the Special Advisor separately concluded that Zinke's speech to the donor's hockey team and participation in fundraisers in the Virgin Islands and elsewhere did not violate the Outbreaks Act [19659027] This article was made under:
