Ryan Zinke鈥檚 first 13 months as interior secretary鈥攁 period punctuated by听investigations into his conduct听and dubious spending of taxpayer money鈥攚ere summed up in a recent internal investigation. On April 10, the Interior鈥檚 Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued on Zinke鈥檚 hasty reassignment of 27 career staffers, many of whom worked in , and a disproportionate number of whom were . The move was called politically motivated .听But OIG investigators couldn鈥檛 make such a determination, because the reassignment team 鈥渄id not document its plan or the reasons it used.鈥 Essentially, his department kept bad paperwork.
The report鈥檚 findings are consistent with how Zinke has run the department. Time and again, his decisions have been made in a rushed fashion with little public input or transparency. Take his sudden plan to reorganize his 70,000-employee department, or to throw open 鈥攄ecisions that upset both .
James G. Watt was the last interior secretary who generated so much controversy鈥攁nd he lost his job. But that was only after he became a political liability for Ronald Reagan. Thirty-five years later, in an administration听swirling with controversy听and under a president who cares听little about traditional professionalism, it seems Zinke can do pretty much whatever he wants.
Compared with听Watt, the secretary who served under Reagan, Zinke has done plenty more that could cost him his job.
Consider yet another OIG report released this month, this one on Zinke鈥檚 . Investigators looked into a June 2017 trip, during which visited the Golden Knights hockey teams and gave what DOI听described as听鈥渟ort of an inspirational-type speech, one that a coach might give.”听The problem was that听Zinke听charged taxpayers $12,375 to charter a flight from Las Vegas to Montana after the speech, in which he didn鈥檛 even mention Interior, according to the report. It turned out the hockey team had also听offered to reschedule his talk so he could book commercial flights. Zinke shrugged off the speech as one that happened to coincide with a nearby event with county commissioners, though OIG found that his schedulers booked that appearance after his plans were finalized.
Neither听OIG report will likely听lead to any disciplinary action. But they provide a window into Zinke鈥檚 priorities. The hockey team Zinke spoke to is owned by William Foley II, a billionaire who donated to Zinke鈥檚 congressional campaigns, and Zinke鈥檚 speech, according to the OIG report, was all about his听time as a Navy SEAL.听Nonetheless, Daniel Jorjani, Interior鈥檚 acting solicitor, told investigators the occasion 鈥渁ligned with the DOI鈥檚 priorities.鈥 The trip, funded by taxpayer dollars, was 鈥渢en thousand percent compliant鈥 with Interior鈥檚 mission,听he said.听
The听DOI seems at ease arguing that catering to donors and espousing the merits of Zinke鈥檚 Navy career are department priorities. (There鈥檚 speculation Zinke will gun for in the near future.) In a way, it鈥檚 more of the same. Zinke has shown he values private interest when it comes to land, and that his department鈥檚 priorities听are heavy on use and light on conservation.
If the past year is any indication, the latest OIG reports will result in little more than some bad press for Zinke. For one, there鈥檚 always another Trump-related scandal that sucks up more oxygen in Washington. Plus, is probably receiving more discussion in the Oval Office than Zinke. The lone instance of a reported feud between Zinke and Trump came after the from Zinke鈥檚 offshore drilling proposal, but it was later revealed that the White House 听to give a win to听Governor Rick Scott, a longtime Trump supporter who鈥檚 running for the Senate.
Compared with听Watt, the secretary who served under Reagan, Zinke has done plenty more that could cost him his job鈥攍ike his , , , , treatment of , ,听, and .
Two other government agencies have said they鈥檒l investigate Zinke鈥檚 travel and reassignments. But unless those turn up documented illegal behavior, it鈥檚 hard to imagine Zinke will get the boot.