Interior IG opens investigation into Secretary David Bernhardt four days after confirmation

The Interior Department's Inspector General has opened an investigation into Secretary David Bernhardt's potential conflicts of interest, just four days after the Senate confirmed him to the job. The Interior Inspector General's office received seven complaints from a "wide assortment of complainants alleging various potential conflict of interest and other violations by then-Deputy Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt," according to a letter the watchdog sent to Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, one of the lawmakers who suggested an investigation. Bernhardt, a former fossil fuel lobbyist, was confirmed in the Senate 56-41 last week following intense scrutiny from Democratic members of Congress and advocacy groups about how he has been spending his time at the agency since joining in 2017. The New York Times was the first to report the investigation. "We now have an Interior secretary who has been on the job for one full business day and is already under investigation," Wyden said in a statement. "With Bernhardt's track record and the number of allegations against him, it's no surprise. At least now, the American people will finally get the answers they deserve." Interior spokeswoman Faith Vander Voort said that Bernhardt is in "complete compliance with his ethics agreement and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations," in an email to CNN. Vander Voort said the Interior Department's Ethics Office has "already conducted a review of many of these accusations at Mr. Bernhardt's request."...MORE