"Zinke resigned Wednesday amid a flurry of scandals. David Bernhardt, the agency’s No. 2 and a former energy lobbyist, has stepped in as acting secretary."
"David Bernhardt, the Interior Department’s No. 2 official and a former fossil fuel lobbyist, took over Wednesday as acting secretary after the resignation of scandal-plagued agency chief Ryan Zinke.
With Democrats on Thursday taking back control of the House of Representatives — and the powerful subpoena authority that comes with it — they have vowed to investigate Zinke’s conduct and policy decisions.
Zinke, a former Montana congressman and Navy SEAL, faced nearly 20 federal investigations. Several are ongoing, and one has been referred by Interior’s internal watchdog to the Justice Department for possible criminal violations. He has maintained he did nothing wrong and blamed his departure on “vicious and politically motivated attacks.” "
Chris D’Angelo reports for HuffPost January 2, 2019.
SEE ALSO:
"Ryan Zinke’s Farewell Letter To Trump Gets Brutally Mocked On Twitter" (HuffPost)
"The New Acting Interior Secretary Is An Agency Insider And Ex-Oil Lobbyist" (NPR)
"Zinke Departs From Interior Post" (The Hill)
"Interior Secretary Zinke’s Parting Note Has Critics Seeing Red" (Washington Post)
"Interior: With Some Final Signatures, Zinke Signs Off" (Greenwire)
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