Forest Service names female interim chief while agency faces harassment allegations

The Trump administration named a new interim U.S. Forest Service chief on Thursday, just days after the prior head of the agency stepped down due to sexual misconduct allegations. The appointment of Vickie Christiansen, an experienced deputy chief and former forest firefighter, came at the end of "a difficult week," Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue wrote in an email to the agency's 35,000 employees, according to The Associated Press. Perdue accepted the resignation of Tony Tooke on Wednesday, following a "PBS NewsHour" report where dozens of former female employees accused Tooke of inappropriate touching and workplace harassment. Perdue is reportedly implementing measures to prevent retaliation against victims of workplace harassment, including hiring outside investigators to look into future complaints of sexual misconduct...more