Probe-hit interior secretary to leave
Donald T rump’s interior secretary Ryan Zinke is to step down following a series of scandals.
Zinke is facing federal investigations into claims he used his position for personal gain.
In a tweet, Trump said the former Montana congressman had “accomplished much during his tenure” and that a replacement would be announced next week.
Zinke, 57, is leaving weeks before Democrats take control of the House of Representatives – a shift in power that promised to intensify investigations into his conduct.
He will leave at the end of the year. Zinke’s departure comes amid a staff shake-up as the president heads into his third year in office.
On Friday, Trump named Whi te House budget director Mick Mulvaney as his next chief of staff.
Zinke played a key role in Trump’s efforts to roll back environmental regulations and promote domestic energy development.
He has been dogged by ethics probes, including one centred on a Montana land deal involving a foundation he created and the chairman of an energy services firm who do business with the Interior Department.
Investigators are also reviewing Zinke’s decision to block tribes from opening a casino in Connecticut and his redrawing of boundaries to shrink a Utah national monument.
He has denied any wrongdoing.