House flip creates big headache for Zinke

Less than 24 hours after Republicans lost their House majority, Democrats vowed to take Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to task for a number of questionable actions and business deals, including one that’s under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ). When the new Congress starts Jan. 3, Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee will, for the first time since Zinke took office in March 2017, have the authority to compel him and others at the Interior Department to testify and provide records. Their newfound power — and zeal to sniff out potential corruption after what they characterize as a dereliction of oversight duties by the GOP — is likely to make life even more difficult for the embattled Interior secretary as Democrats look for potentially embarrassing or incriminating records that could help thwart President Trump’s agenda...MORE