Ryan Zinke rejects reports he's involved in real estate deal with Halliburton chairman

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is rejecting reports that he is still overseeing a real estate deal between a veterans organization run by his wife and the chairman of global oil services firm Halliburton. Politico reported Tuesday that Zinke was still involved in the transaction, but Zinke's spokeswoman, Heather Swift, rejected that report. "The Politico accusations that the secretary is still a member of the board are easily proven false," Swift said in a statement to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. "In accordance with all federal ethics guidelines, the secretary resigned from his position with the Great Northern Veterans Peace Park in March 2017." Politico reported that Halliburton Chairman David Lesar on his own, and not on behalf of his company, is trying to buy real estate in Whitefish, Mont. The Great Northern Veterans Peace Park Foundation, which Zinke founded, manages some of that land, and as a result is working with Lesar to facilitate the purchase. But Swift said Zinke has long since left the Great Northern Veterans Peace Park Foundation. She shared three documents showing that Zinke is no longer with the group, including a copy of his formal resignation to the foundation. A letter from the group's law firm also confirmed he resigned in 2017, and a third document was an annual report sent to the state of Montana showing that Zinke is no longer leading the group...MORE