White House worries over Zinke probes
WASHINGTON — The White House is growing increasingly concerned about allegations of misconduct against Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, according to two senior administration officials, and President Donald Trump has asked aides for more information about a Montana land deal under scrutiny by the Justice Department.
Trump told his aides that he is afraid Zinke has broken rules while serving as the interior secretary and is concerned about the Justice Department referral, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. But the president has not indicated whether he will fire the former Navy SEAL and congressman and has asked for more information, the officials said.
Earlier this month, Interior’s Office of Inspector General referred the inquiry — one of several probes into the secretary’s conduct — to the Justice Department to determine whether a criminal investigation is warranted. That referral concerns Zinke’s involvement in a Whitefish, Mont., land development deal backed by David Lesar, chairman of the oil services firm Halliburton.
The business and retail park, known as 95 Karrow, would be near multiple parcels of land owned by Zinke and his wife, Lola. The inspector general is looking at discussions Zinke had with Lesar and others about the development that could indicate he was using his office to enrich himself.
Interior has played no role in the Montana project, but congressional Democrats asked for an investigation in June because the department issues regulations on oil and gas development that has financial implications for companies such as Lesar’s.
No decision about Zinke’s tenure has been made, said the officials. But the shift within the West Wing highlights the extent to which the interior secretary’s standing has slipped in recent months.
Both the White House and Interior declined to comment Thursday. Zinke has indicated that he intends to stay in his post, according to an individual who talked to him recently and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation.
White House officials’ trust in Zinke began eroding at the start of the year, after he traveled to Florida to meet with Republican Gov. Rick Scott and announced that he would exempt the state from the administration’s new plan to allow drilling off the state’s coasts.
But administration officials’ concerns have intensified as multiple allegations have mounted against Zinke, who has denied any wrongdoing. Earlier this month, Interior’s watchdog unit issued a report finding that Zinke’s travel practices and efforts to designate his wife as a department volunteer had raised red flags among Interior ethics officials.
New York University public service professor Paul Light, who wrote a book about inspectors general, said in an interview that they regularly notify prosecutors about potential wrongdoing within the agencies they oversee. But he said it is far less common for them to refer cases involving a Cabinet member.
“It’s unusual,” Light said. “A Cabinet officer, that’s a big-ticket issue.”
Interior’s acting inspector general, Mary Kendall, is conducting at least three separate probes connected to Zinke. One involves his decision not to grant a permit to two Connecticut tribes to jointly run a casino, despite the fact that career staff had recommended the move, after MGM Resorts International lobbied against it. Another focuses on whether Interior officials redrew the boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to benefit Utah Republican Rep. Mike Noel who owns property in the area.
The Montana project is another. When the referral to the Justice Department was reported by the Washington Post on Tuesday, it was not yet clear which of the probes had been turned over for possible criminal investigation.
A senior White House official said the White House understood the investigation was looking into whether the secretary “used his office to help himself.”