Yet Another Top Interior Department Official Seems To Have An Ethics Problem

A top political appointee at the Interior Department repeatedly scheduled meetings with his former employers in an apparent violation of federal ethics rules, HuffPost has learned. Todd Wynn, director of the agency’s powerful Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, worked as the task force director at the American Legislative Exchange Council from 2011 to 2013, overseeing the energy, environment and agriculture division and organizing three national conferences a year, a copy of his résumé shows. He then joined the utility trade group Edison Electric Institute, paying to participate in the ALEC task force he previously led. On Oct. 27, he planned a 30-minute video call with Jennifer Butler, a senior policy adviser at the ALEC-linked State Policy Network, according to calendars released under a Freedom of Information Act request. On Dec. 19, he scheduled another such call with Grant Kidwell, the ALEC director in charge of his former task force. Two days later, Wynn slotted 30 minutes for a call with Rich Lindsey, who heads the energy and environment committee at the oil-funded Council of State Government ― where, according to his CV and financial disclosures, Wynn also served as a committee member from June 2015 until he joined the Interior Department. It’s unclear what might have been discussed during the calls, and indeed, HuffPost could not confirm whether they definitely took place as scheduled ― but the calendars of agency officials are generally reliable...MORE

All speculative bunk