Amodei cusses out Trump appointee Zinke over Nevada BLM shakeup

U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., went on a profanity-laced tirade aimed at Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke after a recent leadership shakeup at the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada, an audio recording obtained by the Reno Gazette Journal reveals. The comments also came a little more than a month after Nevada BLM chief John Ruhs’ sudden departure to take over the bureau’s top firefighting post in Boise, Idaho — a move Amodei lamented in a lengthy text message to Zinke read aloud to Lincoln Dinner attendees. The Carson City congressman hinted the departure may have had something to do with tensions between Ruhs and a top Zinke deputy. “While I think the world of Mr. Ruhs, I’m not going to try and get between him and your deputy guy, whatever is going on with those two,” Amodei said he told Zinke. “With all due respect, I’ve been to enough rodeos to sense an issue there and let’s just move on. “Nevada has suffered through a decade of shit BLM leadership,” he continued. “To put a strong successful leader in there for a net 18 months and then, for any reason, ship him, or let him leave to a position in Boise, is absolutely tone deaf.” Northern Nevada’s lone congressman went on to decry “bullshit” legal provisions he said were cited by a Zinke subordinate in explaining why Amodei wasn’t told of Ruhs’ departure. That explanation, he felt, amounted to Zinke’s office indirectly telling him to “eat shit” over the incident...MORE