Tag: Ryan ZInke

Federal watchdog opens probe into travel by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke

The following article by Lisa Rein was posted on the Washington Post website October 2, 2017:

Members of President Trump’s Cabinet have been taking noncommercial flights at the expense of taxpayers, and Trump says he’s “not happy.” (Monica Akhtar/TWP)

The inspector general for the Interior Department has opened an investigation into Secretary Ryan Zinke’s travel during seven months in office, from his use of taxpayer-funded charter and military planes to his mixing of official trips with political appearances.

Nancy K. DiPaolo, a spokesperson for Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall, described a broad investigation into Zinke’s “travel in general,” including “modes of travel, costs and schedules.” Continue reading “Federal watchdog opens probe into travel by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke”

Disloyalty slur latest in series showing Trump administration’s mistrust of feds

The following article by Joe Davidson was posted on the Washington Post website October 2, 2017:

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke speaks March 29 at the Interior Department in Washington. (Molly Riley/AP)

While Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s accusation about the loyalty of his workforce is the Trump administration’s most outrageous statement about federal employees, it fits a deplorable pattern of verbal aggression against them.

Zinke’s declaration that “I got 30 percent of the crew that’s not loyal to the flag” is an escalation that demands denunciation.

“This is the latest in a long line of attacks by this administration on federal workers, starting with his claim that the country needs another ‘good shutdown,’ ” said Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (Md.), the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “The idea that President Trump, Secretary Zinke or anyone else in the administration would threaten the jobs of hard-working civil servants unless they pledge loyalty to the president is grossly abusive and, if carried out, against the law.” Continue reading “Disloyalty slur latest in series showing Trump administration’s mistrust of feds”

Zinke took $12,000 charter flight home in oil executive’s plane, documents show

The following article by Dean Harwell and Lisa Rein was posted on the Washington Post website September 28, 2017:

This story has been updated.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke rides a horse in the new Bears Ears National Monument near Blanding, Utah, on May 9, 2017. (Scott G Winterton/AP)

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke chartered a flight from Las Vegas to near his home in Montana this summer aboard a plane owned by oil-and-gas executives, internal documents show.

The flight, along with private flights during a trip to the Virgin Islands, could propel Zinke into the growing debate over the costs of travel by Cabinet secretaries, some of whom have chosen expensive charter jets and military planes at high expense to taxpayers over the cheaper option of flying commercial.

In June, Zinke and his staffers took a four-hour flight from Las Vegas to Kalispell, Mont., aboard a private plane owned by the executives of a Wyoming oil-and-gas exploration firm, aviation and business records show. Continue reading “Zinke took $12,000 charter flight home in oil executive’s plane, documents show”