Trump's Interior chief 'hopping around from campaign event to campaign event'

[DonViejo]

Source: Politico




Ryan Zinke has met with big donors or political groups more than a half-dozen times while on department-paid trips, including a March visit to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

By BEN LEFEBVRE and ESTHER WHIELDON 10/05/2017 05:01 AM EDT

Republican donors paid up to $5,000 per couple for a photo with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke at a fundraiser held during a taxpayer-funded trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to documents reviewed by POLITICO — raising questions about his habit of mixing official government business with political activism.

The new details about Zinke’s March trip to the Caribbean, including the previously undisclosed invitation to the Virgin Islands Republican Party fundraiser, emerged after weeks of scrutiny of the former Montana GOP congressman’s travels. The nearly two-hour event was one of more than a half-dozen times Zinke has met with big donors or political groups while on department-paid trips, Interior travel records and other documents show.

Ethics watchdogs say Zinke is combining politics with his Interior duties so frequently that he risks tripping over the prohibitions against using government resources for partisan activity, even though his appearance at the Virgin Islands event seems to have been legal. Democrats have also seized on the issue, including 26 House members who wrote in a letter Tuesday that Zinke’s travels “give the appearance that you are mixing political gatherings and personal destinations with official business."

Zinke has said all his actions have obeyed the law, dismissing concerns about his travel as "a little B.S." But some ethics advocates say Zinke’s attendance at a fundraiser during his first month as secretary is not in line with past administrations' conduct, even if he crossed no legal red lines.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/05/zinke-fundraiser-official-travel-interior-243470

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. By BEN LEFEBVRE and ESTHER WHIELDON 10/05/2017 05:01 AM EDT

BEN LEFEBVRE

Energy Reporter

Ben Lefebvre has covered energy industry and policy issues for nearly a decade. Prior to starting at Politico, he worked in Tokyo for three years covering the East Asia nuclear, coal industries for trade publication ICIS. He also wrote about Japanese business and culture for Quartz during that time.

Before that he worked in Houston covering the energy boom for Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal. He got his start in journalism at The Metro Times covering Detroit city hall shenanigans. He graduated with a degree in English from the University of Michigan.

https://twitter.com/bjlefebvre

ESTHER WHIELDON

Esther Whieldon is an alternative energy reporter, focusing largely on renewables and the Interior Department. Prior to joining POLITICO Pro, Whieldon covered politics and energy cybersecurity at SNL Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at Platts. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two dogs.

https://twitter.com/esthernow

https://twitter.com/politico

[Sunlei]

2. he's dragging around a huge secret service team, squandering millions on stuff a phone call will do.

Republicans sure are number one at spending Americans money and selling off Americans lands & seas for a couple bucks.

Literally a couple dollars an acre 'lease' and Americans Federal money paid to clean-up any 'mess'.

[Eugene]

3. We are going to build a big beautiful swamp.

It will be the greatest swamp America has ever seen. Believe me.