ACTION ALERT: Ryan Zinke, Interior’s Corrupt and Unfit Secretary, Must Resign

October 21st, 2018 - by admin

Josh Nelson / CREDO Action – 2018-10-21 18:27:12

https://act.credoaction.com/sign/zinke_resign

ACTION ALERT: Sign the Petition
Trump’s Most Corrupt Secretary Must Resign

Josh Nelson / CREDO Action

The Petition to Sec. Ryan Zinke reads:
“Your unethical behavior, mounting scandals, waste of taxpayer money, and policies to hand over public lands to the fossil fuel and mining industries make you unfit for public service. You must resign immediately.”

(October 21, 2018) — The evidence of corruption and incompetence just keeps piling up for Trump’s Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

Considered “the most scandal-plagued member” of Trump’s cabinet, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke — public lands-enemy number-one — is facing a dozen federal investigations into shady business dealings, unethical behavior, violations of federal law and misuse of taxpayer money. [1]

Just this week, the Interior Department’s Inspector General released a report accusing Zinke of violating department policy by inappropriately using government vehicles and his security detail for personal matters. [2]

Zinke is wholly unfit to serve, and we must again build massive public pressure on another corrupt Trump administration official to force his resignation.

The number of investigations Zinke faces is more than the last four Interior secretaries combined. The actions federal watchdogs have looked at or are looking into include Zinke’s threats to a sitting senator, illegal use of a private jet, the removal of references to climate change in scientific reports and multiple violations of the Hatch Act, a law that prohibits executive branch employees from engaging in political activity. [3]

One of Zinke’s most egregious and bizarre scandals involves a sketchy land deal with Halliburton, the multinational oil services company and government contractor that ripped off billions from the American taxpayer during the Iraq War and who now benefits from Zinke’s industry-friendly public land policies.

Zinke reportedly met with Halliburton’s chairman on official business to work on sealing a land development project in Montana that could enrich Zinke’s family. [4] Halliburton even reportedly bribed Zinke with a microbrewery, a lifelong dream of his, to sweeten the deal. [5]

Like all of Trump’s cabinet secretaries who have left in shame, Zinke is a grifter who is using his status in public office to enrich himself and his friends in corporate America. It’s time for him to go, and we must show him the door now.

ACTION: Tell Sec. Zinke: Resign immediately. Click here to sign the petition.

Josh Nelson is the Co-Director of CREDO Action from Working Assets

References:
1. Chris D’Angelo, “Scandals Pile Up For Interior Chief Ryan Zinke,” HuffPost, July 23, 2018.

2. Tom McCarthy, “Inspector general: interior secretary Zinke’s travel with wife violated policy,” The Guardian, October 18, 2018.

3. Juliet Eilperin, “Trump administration officials dismissed benefits of national monuments,” The Washington Post, July 23, 2018.

4. Ben Lefebvre and Nick Juliano, “Zinke’s Halliburton mess deepens,” POLITICO, June 21, 2018.

5. Bess Levin, “Is Halliburton Bribing Ryan Zinke with a Microbrewery?” Vanity Fair, Aug. 2, 2018.