Ryan Zinke Broke Ethics Rules as Interior Secretary, Inquiry Finds
The New York Times
Mr. Zinke, who left the department in 2019 amid multiple inquiries, misused his office and lied to investigators about his involvement in a Montana land deal, a government watchdog found.
WASHINGTON — Ryan Zinke, the former interior secretary, misused his position and lied to investigators about his involvement in a Montana land deal, repeatedly breaking federal ethics rules, a government watchdog said on Wednesday.
The Interior Department’s inspector general found that while in office, Mr. Zinke continued to negotiate with developers about a real estate project in his hometown, Whitefish, Mont. His involvement violated an ethics agreement he had signed upon taking office to not participate in such matters.
Mr. Zinke, who is running for Congress in Montana, was the subject of several ethics inquiries while he served under President Donald J. Trump. His campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment but called the report a “political hit job” in a statement to The Associated Press.
