White House: Zinke told Trump he had 'no role' in Puerto Rico contract

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke assured President Trump on Friday that he had "no role" in Puerto Rico’s controversial decision to sign a $300 million electric utility repair contract with a small company based in Zinke’s hometown, according to the White House. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump asked Zinke during an Oval Office meeting if he had any involvement in the Whitefish Energy Holdings contract. She said the president raised the question “just for clarification purposes.” “He reiterated once again that we have no role — the federal government — and specifically he had no role in that contract,” Sanders told reporters. Whitefish Energy is headquartered in Whitefish, Mont., a town of 7,200 where Zinke was raised. Both the department and Whitefish have denied that Zinke played any role in the company getting the Puerto Rico deal. Sanders said the deal is being audited and said she would not comment further until the audit is completed. The meeting between Trump and Zinke was scheduled several weeks ago in order to discuss national monument designations, the spokeswoman said...more