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Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior, will leave his post at end of year, Trump says.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has galloped rough shod across the Nation. His hoof prints 
are all over hill and dale through amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties … running 
amok, preparing to lay waste and scorch the Earth like a little Attila the Hun of environmental nonchalance.
Flags flying when he’s home, will the fifes, drums, and bugles soon be announcing his eminence also? Does he have a “personal” limo driver, or a fawning “factotum” to shine his boots? Is there an “HRH” (His Royal Highness) after his signature? One would think those are the facts from observing his short tenure thus far.
At the Interior Department’s headquarters in downtown Washington, Secretary Ryan Zinke has revived an arcane military ritual that no one can remember ever happening in the federal government. A security staffer takes the elevator to the seventh floor, climbs the stairs to the roof and hoists a special secretarial flag whenever Zinke enters the building. When the secretary goes home for the day or travels, the flag — a blue banner emblazoned with the agency’s bison seal flanked by seven white stars representing the Interior bureaus — comes down.
With flags flapping in the breeze, Zinke imperiously parades his pompous presence. But woebegone the tomorrows, the brown Gobi air, the toxic rancid waters, and poisoned soils left behind … remnants of his sorrowful legacy and our unfortunate inheritance. 
When he’s gone the way of all bureaucrats, his flags may still be flying but hopefully only over the Jackass Flats of his personal, royal creation.
Investigation · JUNE 4, 2018 By Greg Zimmerman Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s tenure at the Department of the Interior has been marked by a series of ongoing scandals, with the secretary’s actions coming under unprecedented 
levels of scrutiny by internal government investigators. In just over one year in office, Secretary Zinke is already facing 12 investigations into his conduct, with nine investigations confirmed and at least another three investigations requested. By comparison, the four secretaries of the Interior to precede Secretary Zinke — Secretaries Jewell and Salazar who served under President Obama, and Secretaries Kempthorne and Norton who served under President Bush — are known to have faced a combined 11 investigations into their conduct. See more details here. A visualization/chart is appended.
Andre F. Miller writes for the “Center for Western Priorities” May 11 “Secretary Zinke’s Four Lies and a Truth Testimony before Congress highlights his strained relationship with facts.”
- Bears Ears decision “restored” 400,000 acres back to wilderness
- Oil, gas, uranium didn’t play into Bears Ears decision
- We can’t fund the Land & Water Conservation Fund because of park maintenance
- Maintenance proposal is the largest investment in public lands in American history
Truth: Communities play an important role in oil and gas leasing decisions
Investigations into Interior Secretaries since 2001
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke faces 12 government investigations, more than the last four secretaries combined
| Investigations | Days in office | |
| Secretary Ryan Zinke | 12
(9 confirmed | 3 pending) |
456 days
(as of May 30th, 2018) |
| Secretary Sally Jewell | 0 | 1,380 days |
| Secretary Ken Salazar | 4 | 1,544 days |
| Secretary Dirk Kempthorne | 2 | 959 days |
| Secretary Gale Norton | 5 | 1,886 days |
The 12 known investigations into Secretary Zinke’s conduct at the Interior Department
| Status | Investigator | |
|
Open & closed | Inspector General (final report) |
|
Open & closed | Inspector General |
|
Open & closed | Inspector General (final report) |
|
Open & closed | Special Counsel |
|
Open | Inspector General |
|
Open | Inspector General |
|
Open | Inspector General |
|
Open | Inspector General |
|
Open | Special Counsel |
|
Requested | Inspector General |
|
Requested | Inspector General |
|
Requested | Special Counsel |
Please stay tuned. We’ll soon return to “Zinke” … “Rub a dub dub three Goodfellas in a tub” … “Bears Ears and Uranium One” … and other musings.
Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior, will leave his post at end of year, Trump says
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