{"slug":"trump-ryan-zinke-interior-department-corruption","title":"Ryan Zinke's Interior Department: Ethics Violations, Developer Deals, Land Monuments Gutted","date":"2017-03-01","lastUpdated":"2018-12-15","description":"Ryan Zinke served as Secretary of the Interior from March 2017 to January 2019. During that period, he accumulated a documented record of ethics violations including personal use of government aircraft, a real estate development deal involving a Halliburton-connected company near his Montana property, and interventions in regulatory and leasing decisions that benefited political donors. He shrank two national monuments — Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante — by the largest amount in U.S. history, opening them to mining and drilling. He resigned in December 2018 amid multiple federal investigations.","summary":"Zinke used government aircraft for personal travel, including a trip to attend a hockey game and a flight to meet a donor. He pursued a real estate development near his Montana property with a company connected to Halliburton CEO David Lesar — while Halliburton had business before the Interior Department. He intervened in tribal gaming compacts in Connecticut to benefit a political donor's competing casino operation. He reduced Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by nearly half — the largest rollback of protected federal land in U.S. history. He resigned in December 2018; the DOJ referred his conduct for further investigation.","category":"corruption","severity":"major","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/politics/ryan-zinke-interior-department-ethics.html","title":"Ryan Zinke's Complicated Year at Interior: A Trail of Ethics Questions","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/interior-secretary-zinke-resigns-amid-multiple-federal-ethics-inquiries/2018/12/15/df5d6c0a-005c-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html","title":"Interior Secretary Zinke resigns amid federal ethics investigations","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://www.propublica.org/article/ryan-zinke-interior-secretary-ethics-investigations","title":"Ryan Zinke's Ethical Record at Interior","publisher":"ProPublica"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/interior-zinke-resigns-bears-ears-ethics","title":"Zinke leaves Interior under cloud of ethics questions","publisher":"The Associated Press"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["corruption","Interior","Zinke","public-lands","first-term","native-american","monuments"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2017-03-01","title":"Zinke confirmed as Interior Secretary","summary":"Zinke, a former Montana congressman and Navy SEAL, is confirmed 68-31. Conservationists and tribes express concern about his stated plans to open federal lands to energy development."},{"date":"2017-12-04","title":"Trump reduces Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante","summary":"Trump signs proclamations reducing Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 46% — the largest reduction of monument protections in U.S. history, following a review ordered by Zinke. Tribes that had fought for Bears Ears immediately file suit."},{"date":"2018-01-01","title":"Connecticut tribal gaming investigation opens","summary":"Reports emerge that Zinke's intervention denying tribal gaming compacts in Connecticut may have been connected to political donations. The Interior Department Inspector General opens an investigation."},{"date":"2018-06-01","title":"Aircraft use investigations","summary":"Multiple Inspector General reviews document Zinke's use of government aircraft for travel that mixed official and personal activities. At least one chartered flight from oil executives is scrutinized."},{"date":"2018-12-15","title":"Zinke resigns amid investigations","summary":"Zinke announces his resignation effective January 2, 2019, citing 'vicious and politically motivated attacks.' At the time of his resignation, the DOJ and multiple Inspector General offices have active or pending reviews of his conduct."}],"location":{"name":"Washington, D.C. / Montana / Utah","lat":38.9072,"lng":-77.0369},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Native American tribes whose sacred lands were stripped of monument protection; American public whose federal lands were opened to extractive industry; taxpayers billed for personal government aircraft travel","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Ryan Zinke","role":"Secretary of the Interior March 2017 — January 2019","institution":"Department of the Interior"},{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"Appointed Zinke; issued executive order directing monument reductions","institution":"White House"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2018-12-15","summary":"Updated with resignation."}]}}