Zinke, in official and unofficial portraits, returns to Interior on horseback

Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will now be immortalized on the horse he rode in on. In his official portrait unveiling, Zinke, who famously came to his first day at the agency on horseback, is seen sitting atop a black and white horse, trotting through brush with a tree-lined butte in the background. The portrait is based on a photo taken of Zinke when he visited Bears Ears National Monument in 2017, a monument in Utah that was later shrunk by the Trump administration. Painted by Montana-based artist Brent Cotton, the portrait includes the insignia of Seal Team Six on Zinke's shoulder and the emblem of U.S. Park Police on the horse's martingale. The likeness was funded through private donations...MORE 

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We all should recognize the official portrait is not a true likeness of Zinke because the hat is facing forward, while in real life Zinke, trying to impersonate a Westerner, mistakenly put his hat on backwards.

The article continues:

The official portrait was joined by an unofficial portrait that also shows Zinke again on horseback, this time holding a sickle while his horse rears up in response to a fanged snake in the foreground. The unofficial portrait is based on the painting "Death Dealer 6" by fantasy artist Frank Frazetta, which sold for $1.79 million in 2018 and features a mythic warrior wearing a tri-horned helmet.

The real snake in that painting is not the one in the foreground.

Senior Justice Dept. official stalled probe against former interior secretary Ryan Zinke, sources say

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen deferred a bid from line prosecutors to move forward with possible criminal charges against former interior secretary Ryan Zinke, saying they needed to gather more evidence and refine the case, according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The move late last year by Rosen, an appointee of President Trump, angered some career prosecutors in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section and has delayed for months the release of an Interior Department Office of Inspector General report about Zinke’s conduct. At issue is whether Zinke made false statements to Interior investigators who were looking into his decision not to grant a petition by two Indian tribes to operate a commercial casino off reservation land in East Windsor, Conn. The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes’ casino plans had prompted pushback by MGM Resorts International, which operates a gambling facility across the state border in Massachusetts. The tribes’ proposal became a source of contention at Interior and the White House during Trump’s first months in office. Prosecutors convened a grand jury in February 2019 to examine the matter. A Justice Department official said that lawyers from the Criminal Division presented the case to Rosen’s office in late 2019 and that “substantial questions arose about the strength of the case.” The official said the division “agreed to do additional work.” Rosen argued that lawyers needed to get more evidence and hone their case for charging Zinke with lying to federal investigators, according to people familiar with the matter. A person familiar with the matter said the case technically remains open — meaning that when Biden administration officials take over at the Justice Department in January, prosecutors and lower-level officials could again press their case for charges to a potentially more friendly audience. The passage of time, though, generally makes cases weaker as witness memories fade, and there is no guarantee that higher-ups in a new administration would view the facts differently from Rosen. The Washington Post was unable to determine independently the strength of the case against Zinke. The New York Times first reported Wednesday that Rosen had delayed possibly bringing charges against the former interior secretary. The Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General cannot release its report about the casino deal until prosecutors reach a decision about the case. Asked about the matter Wednesday, the OIG declined to comment. The Post first reported in October 2018 that the OIG had referred the matter to Justice Department prosecutors, who convened a grand jury a few weeks after Zinke officially resigned his post Jan. 2, 2019. Zinke had come under scrutiny for a range of matters, including a land deal in his hometown of Whitefish, Mont.; whether he bent government rules to allow his wife to ride in government vehicles; and his decision to have a security detail travel with him on a vacation to Turkey. Making false statements to federal officials constitutes a crime, but it can be difficult to prove, because it requires prosecutors to show that a person “knowingly and willfully” lied, rather than simply misstated a fact. Were the Justice Department to decide to move forward, Zinke and his lawyers possibly would be given the opportunity to present their own case to top Justice Department officials, who would ultimately decide whether to authorize charges...MORE

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Regular readers know I didn't think much of Zinke because of his cowardly bowing to Udall, Heinrich and the enviros on the national monuments issue in NM, his proposal to reorganize Interior to implement ecosystem management, and his support of permanently funding federal land acquisition.

What caught my eye in this piece, though, was the following:

Zinke and his lawyers possibly would be given the opportunity to present their own case to top Justice Department officials, who would ultimately decide whether to authorize charges

Would you, or I or the average Joe be given the opportunity to present our "own case to top Justice Department officials" before any charges were filed? I'm unaware of any such instance and something sure seems awry here.

Now if you were to ask if I would prosecute Zinke, the answer would be YES. He should be prosecuted and put away for a long time for fraudulently impersonating a Westerner, with the irrefutable evidence being his not knowing the front from the back of a cowboy hat. This probably doesn't warrant a hanging, but he should serve a prison sentence in some Eastern, dingy, federal prison.

Federal investigators concluded Ryan Zinke's MAGA socks violated Hatch Act

Federal investigators concluded that former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated the Hatch Act when he tweeted out a picture of himself wearing socks with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan, according to a December letter made public on Thursday. The Hatch Act forbids most federal employees from using their position to promote partisan politics. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is tasked with investigating possible Hatch Act violations, wrote in a December letter that Zinke broke the law when he posted the picture of his socks from his government account and wore them to a government event. “Secretary Zinke engaged in political activity when he wore the above-referenced socks,” Ana Galindo-Marrone, chief of the Hatch Act Unit at the Office of Special Counsel, wrote in a Dec. 20 letter to the watchdog group Campaign for Accountability. The letter was first obtained by The Washington Post...MORE

DOJ investigation into former Interior chief goes to grand jury

A court proceeding looking into whether former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke lied to federal investigators about a decision he made while heading the agency is fully underway, according to The Washington Post. Prosecutors have already begun presenting evidence to a grand jury on whether Zinke made false claims to investigators about his decision to deny a petition by two Indian tribes to operate a casino for profit in Connecticut, two sources told the Post. The Inspector General office of the Interior Department referred the matter to the Department of Justice after its investigators became concerned that Zinke had lied to them about how he came to his decision on the casino. The investigation follows a decision in September 2017 by the Interior Department to decline to approve an application by two tribes — the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan — to run a casino in Connecticut. Interior had tentatively signed off on the proposal in the summer of 2017, before mega-casino MGM began lobbying against it. MGM argued that granting the tribes’ application would give them an unfair advantage over a casino 12 miles away from the proposed site of the tribes' venture. The two tribes argued that Interior’s reversal came because of political pressure, and the Mashantucket Pequot and the state of Connecticut sued....MORE

Interior Secretary Zinke’s parting note has critics seeing red

Ryan Zinke, the embattled interior secretary who famously rode to work dressed like a cowboy on horseback, departed the job Wednesday at high noon. Zinke signed off with a letter written on official departmental stationery with what appeared to be a red marker. “It’s been a high honor to serve the president and the American People as @ Interior secretary,” it said. The ex-Navy SEAL and first Montanan to serve in a presidential Cabinet faced at least five open investigations into his management and behavior at the Interior Department. He departed amid a partial government shutdown forced by the president that left garbage piled high at the national parks he oversaw. In his letter, Zinke said he “restored public lands for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” He added he “improved public access” to federal land and it “shall never be held hostage again for our energy needs.” Responses to Zinke’s tweet with the letter attached, posted at noon, were not kind...MORE

Leading contenders emerge to replace Zinke as Interior secretary

President Trump said he plans to announce this week his pick to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who will be leaving the administration at the end of the year. The likely contenders have experience on congressional committees overseeing the Interior Department or hail from Western states, an important factor considering Interior's outsized influence in the West. Trump's eventual pick will need to go through the Senate confirmation process. Here are some of the most talked-about contenders. Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt Bernhardt had long been considered a shoo-in for secretary. But in announcing Zinke’s exit, Trump didn’t say the deputy secretary would be in charge of the agency and its 70,000 employees. Still, he will become acting secretary until Zinke's replacement is nominated and then confirmed by the Senate. Bernhardt worked at Interior in various capacities, including solicitor, during the George W. Bush administration. He has had multiple stints at at the lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, representing clients with business before Interior. In his current role at Interior, Bernhardt has taken the lead on major initiatives like efforts to ease Endangered Species Act compliance, reduce protections for the greater sage grouse, open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling and direct more water to farmers in the West. “Bernhardt will be a strong leader,” said Ann Navarro, a partner at Bracewell LLP, a law firm and lobbying shop. “He’s an extremely hard worker and knows the agency’s mission. He also understands how the agency functions and is well-regarded among the agency staff, which is essential to successfully lead the agency.” He also strikes fear in environmentalists. “We cannot allow a lobbyist like David Bernhardt to transform our public lands and waters into oil and gas production zones when we have basically a decade left to avoid climate catastrophe,” Janet Redman, climate director for Greenpeace USA, said in a statement. If Trump prefers to put a politician at the helm, Bernhardt would likely stay in his post to smooth the transition and to maintain the policy focus. “It may benefit the president’s agenda to appoint someone else in that role so Bernhardt can keep the agenda on track,” said Dan Eberhart, CEO of oil services firm Canary LLC and a major Republican donor. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) Unlike other politicians in contention for the Interior post, Bishop isn’t leaving his current job. But the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee is getting a demotion and becoming its ranking member starting next month since the GOP lost its House majority in the November midterm elections. Bishop’s main qualification is that he has served for years on the Natural Resources panel, which oversees Interior, and has wielded the chairman's gavel for the past four years...MORE 

NY Times Slashes Ryan Zinke As ‘Not The Sharpest Knife In The Drawer’

The New York Times ripped outgoing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Saturday as a cheerleader for President Donald Trump’s “boneheaded” policy of “energy dominance.” The editorial noted that Zinke is leaving his job under the shadow of an” impressive number” — 15 — “ethics investigations.” Zinke “had a Western swagger to him that some found appealing, but on matters of public relations he was not the sharpest knife in the drawer,” the editorial declared...MORE

‘Good riddance,' says SUWA; nation owes him ‘debt of gratitude,’ says Bishop — reactions to resignation of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke

“Utah’s federal public lands are unquestionably worse off because of Zinke’s corrupt and disastrous tenure as secretary of the Interior. From spearheading the dismantling of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments to fast-tracking oil and gas leasing across Utah’s redrock wilderness, Zinke’s legacy is one of prioritizing short-term exploitation and profiteering over the protection and sound stewardship of America’s public lands.
"He will undoubtedly go down as one of the worst Interior secretaries in living memory. Good riddance.”
Stephen Bloch, legal director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

“In the world of Washington politics, Zinke was an anomaly. He had a vision of a better future — an efficient department; a park system without a backlog; a staff who listened. Where others dithered he got stuff done. We owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee

“Zinke resigns: A good day. Zinke’s replacement — scary as hell because he is shrewd + smart, drips w/oil + connections. With David Bernhardt, we must be more vigilant.”
Terry Tempest Williams, author and environmental activist

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If Democrats Want a 'Green New Deal,' These Congressional Investigations Need to Happen

A startling new report on climate change from the Trump administration makes clear that if the U.S. government and other major polluters don't do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the resulting climate impacts will be dramatic and costly, both to the U.S. economy and the long-term livability of the planet.  However, with the Democrats holding a clear majority in the House of Representatives, a huge opportunity lies in the investigative powers of the committees they will now lead (here’s a quick summary of Congressional investigative powers). Looking forward and developing aggressive clean energy policies to aid the rapid deconstruction of the fossil fuel industry should be only part of the strategy for Democrats. They must also investigate and bring to justice the corruption that has proliferated in the Trump administration and effectively stalled climate action. The Democrats must also look back and understand how and why the world is in such a time of urgency when it comes to climate change, despite scientists having rung the alarm bells for decades. As the oft-quoted Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu warned, you need to know both yourself and the enemy in order to win in battle. Here are some key climate and environmental controversies of the Trump administration that House Democrats should investigate if they want to see their Green New Deal succeed:..MORE

Grijalva left bar after Zinke tweet

Raúl Grijalva was at a Capitol Hill bar earlier today when Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke fired off a tweet calling him a drunkard, according to multiple sources. The Arizona Democrat and likely next House Natural Resources Committee chairman left the Tune Inn on Pennsylvania Avenue shortly after Zinke blasted out his extraordinarily harsh tweet to 88,000-plus followers, the multiple sources told E&E News. Zinke suggestively cited the same bar in his 12:02 p.m. tweet, writing #TuneInnForMore. Now Grijalva, Zinke and many others around them must deal with the aftermath of a rhetorical savaging that raises questions about Zinke's motives, smudges the boundary between public and private lives, and roughens the road ahead for a department already facing a brutal new year...MORE

USFWS Expands Fishing, Hunting Opportunities On Wildlife Refuges

The U.S. Department of Interior’s (DOI) Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is allowing more fishing and hunting opportunities on federal wildlife refuges around the country. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced FWS had finalized a rule allowing new hunting and fishing on 30 additional national wildlife refuges in Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Wisconsin. With this expansion, the Trump administration is opening or expanding an additional 251,000 acres to hunting and sport fishing, which DOI says will yield millions of dollars in additional recreation-related spending. Under federal law, national wildlife refuges in all states are protected from recreational use to protect and conserve threatened fish and wildlife. But, under the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, the Service permits hunting and fishing along with four other types of wildlife-dependent recreation, including wildlife photography, environmental education, wildlife observation, and interpretation, when they are compatible with an individual refuge’s purpose and mission...MORE

I'm still waiting on the Seretarial Order to open up vacant allotments to additional livestock grazing.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke accuses Democrat who wants him to resign of 'drunken and hostile behavior'

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke slammed the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee Friday, accusing Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., of using taxpayer money to cover up "drunken and hostile behavior." “It’s hard for him to think straight from the bottom of the bottle,” Zinke said in a statement posted to Twitter. “This is coming from a man who used nearly $50,000 in tax dollars as hush money to cover up his drunken and hostile behavior." Zinke appears to be referring to a 2015 settlement with a former Grijalva staffer who threatened a lawsuit and claimed the congressman was frequently drunk and created a hostile work environment. The Office of Congressional Ethics investigated the incident and found that Grijalva did not violate House rules or federal law. “The American people know who I’m here to serve, and they know in whose interests I’m acting,” Grijalva said in a statement. “They don’t know the same about Secretary Zinke.”...MORE

Ryan Zinke Mocks Numerous Ethics Probes Against Him: I’ll Be ‘Investigated’ For Saying ‘Merry Christmas’ Next

To change the subject after being asked about his numerous federal investigations into his ethics as a government employee, Department of the s Secretary Ryan Zinke joked to a Fox News host that he’ll likely be “investigated” for saying “Merry Christmas” next. The Trump administration member made the mocking remark while stumbling through a series of attempted explanations after host Shannon Bream confronted him with emails from a conservation group on the ethics probes into Zinke. “Zinke’s investigation count now far exceeds his last four predecessors, who collectively were the subject of eleven OIG and OSC investigations,” read one statement from the Center for Western Priorities, who report Zinke has faced 18 probes, one of which — the Halliburton scandal — was referred to the Justice Department. Zinke responded by claiming he is “10 for 10” in being cleared of these investigations. (Per the New York Times, in “some cases… [Zinke] was cleared,” but other probes were cleared “because of a lack of cooperation.”)...MORE

Top Dem lawmaker likely to oversee Interior calls for Ryan Zinke's resignation

“While the secretary continues to project confidence, questions have grown since the election about his future plans, and the White House reportedly fears that he would be unable to withstand scrutiny on Capitol Hill,” Grijalva wrote. “Those fears are justified. Mr. Zinke has never even tried to offer an explanation for the sheer scope of his well-documented scandals.” As Ranking member of the House Natural Resources committee, Grijalva has lead multiple inquiries into Zinke, including requesting Interior's Inspector Generals (IG) office look into reports that the secretary unlawfully entered into a real estate deal with the Chairman of oil services company Halliburton. The IG’s office last month referred that investigation to the Department of Justice. “The important thing to us was that Mr. Zinke not be allowed to treat his office as a source of personal enrichment. The fact that the Justice Department was alerted is Mr. Zinke’s fault, not the fault of the media or anyone else his office has chosen to blame,” he wrote.The future likely head of the House committee that oversees the Interior Department called for Secretary Ryan Zinke to resign. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (R-Ariz.) said Zinke needs to step down from his job, in a USA Today Op-ed Friday, citing the cabinet secretary’s “ethical and managerial failings.”...MORE

Zinke to Be Cleared of Misconduct in Utah Monument Decision

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke broke no rules and provided no special favors in his decision last year to reduce the area of the protected Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, the department’s watchdog has determined. Environmental advocates had accused Zinke of catering to the financial interests and influence of Utah state Republican House member Mike Noel, a critic of federal land use policy who owns land near the monument. he Associated Press on Monday night reported that acting Interior Department Inspector General Mary Kendall—who is also investigating Zinke on several ethics fronts—sent a letter to Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt saying her staff had found no evidence of preferential treatment in this part of the larger Trump administration decision to open more Western lands to development. “We found no evidence that Noel influenced the DOI’s proposed revisions to the [monument’s] boundaries, that Zinke or other DOI staff involved in the project were aware of Noel’s financial interest in the revised boundaries, or that they gave Noel any preferential treatment in the resulting proposed boundaries,” Kendall wrote in the summary published by the Washington Post...MORE

As Rumors Mount Zinke's Days Are Numbered, Warnings About 'Man Behind the Curtain' Who Could Take Over Interior

While President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke have both maintained that, at least for now, Zinke will remain in his post despite ongoing ethics probes, as rumors continue to mount that his days in the administration are numbered, so do concerns about his second-in-command, David Bernhardt. As the Interior Department's deputy secretary, Bernhardt would likely take the helm if Zinke resigns or is fired. Bernhardt worked his way up to serve as solicitor of the department during the George W. Bush administration. After that, as the Washington Post reported Monday, he worked as a lobbyist for polluting industries—which means that now, he has "so many potential conflicts of interest he has to carry a small card listing them all." Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.)—a critic of the department's approach to California water issues, from which Bernhart had to recuse himself for a year—and others have called him "a walking conflict of interest." "He is the guy behind the curtain who's manipulating everything, which he can do with his wealth of knowledge and experience," Jim Lyons, who served as deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management under the Obama administration, told the Post. As Jeff Turrentine of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) warned last week, Bernhardt's "long Washington résumé suggests that he would happily continue to carry out the Trump administration's war on public lands and federal waters—albeit with greater legal sophistication and fewer unforced ethical errors than his predecessor."...MORE

Zinke plans to appeal court ruling allowing drilling In Badger-Two Medicine

U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told the Associated Press today that the federal government plans to appeal a federal court ruling allowing oil and gas drilling in the Badger-Two Medicine area outside Glacier National Park. In September a federal judge reinstated drilling rights on a nearly 10 square mile lease in the area. The Obama administration voided those leases, originally granted by the Reagan administration. Zinke asked government attorneys to appeal the September ruling, saying it would be inappropriate to allow drilling in the Badger-Two Medicine...MORE

AP sources: Trump mulling a wide-ranging shakeup

President Trump is weighing an administration-wide shakeup as he looks to prepare his White House for divided government, but it is unclear who is going and who is staying. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was thought to be out as soon as this week, according to two people with knowledge of the issue, but she is now likely to remain in the post for a longer period because there is no obvious successor in place. Trump has soured on Nielsen and White House chief of staff John Kelly, in part over frustration that his administration is not doing more to address what he has called a crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the people. But the scope of the contemplated changes is far broader, as Trump gears up for a wave of Democratic oversight requests and to devote more effort to his own re-election campaign. According to people familiar with the situation, Trump is also discussing replacing Kelly with Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Nick Ayers. Kelly, a retired Marine general, has been credited with bringing order and process to a chaotic West Wing, but he has fallen out of favor with the president as well as presidential daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Ayers, a seasoned campaign operative, would restore a political-mindset to the role, but he faces stiff opposition from some corners of the West Wing, with some aides lobbying Trump directly against the move. Other changes are afoot, as Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke are being discussed for replacement. And in an extraordinary move Tuesday, first lady Melania Trump's office called publicly for the firing of Trump's deputy national security adviser, Mira Ricardel...MORE

'Rogue warrior' Zinke uses 'unconventional tactics'

Michael Doyle

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke rose through the Navy as an aggressive risk taker, a trait that's rewarded in the elite special operations community but that can complicate careers in politics and bureaucracies. In large ways and small, Zinke's 23-year Navy career generally — and his service as a SEAL officer in particular — help explain his actions at Interior, some of which have gotten him bad press lately and could threaten his job security. On one hand, his doggedness — a SEAL's cultivated refusal to quit — endears him to key allies. "That's exactly what the president likes about him," said one senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "He is pushing through an absolutely aggressive agenda." But the door-busting dash that propelled Zinke through the military may have also undermined him at Interior, where he's faced repeated inquiries over his fidelity to the government's standard operating procedures. "When I was with the SEALs, there were those who followed all the rules and played it safe," Zinke recounted in his autobiography, "American Commander," and "there were those who used unconventional tactics to win. We called them 'pirates.'" Zinke served several stints with the pirates, officially called the Navy Special Warfare Development Group and popularly known as SEAL Team Six. They were, in some ways, the defining chapters of Zinke's life, a character-shaping period he now commemorates with his ever-present SEAL lapel pin. "You want to know what kind of seagoing individual I was about to become? You guessed it. A rogue warrior," Zinke wrote, adding that "we trained harder, deployed longer, and viewed the conventional rules as guidance rather than the law." Zinke's Navy performance evaluations obtained by E&E News consistently lauded him, with one calling him "aggressive, determined and relentless in his pursuit of excellence." One "lapse in judgment" cited by a superior officer, involving travel pay, marred his stellar record. Now Zinke's future at Interior is challenged by several ongoing investigations, including one reportedly referred to the Justice Department. The inquiries, past and present, hint at a fast mover sometimes focused more on the mission than on the rulebook (Greenwire, Oct. 31). "We will all be better off when Zinke has moved on from public service and is able to spend all of his time on his true passion: self-promotion," said Chris Saeger, executive director of the advocacy group Western Values Project...MORE

Interesting article. Too bad that when it came to the OMDP National Monument he shed his SEAL uniform and donned the suit of a typical politician. I think he looked over at the Senate and saw that Udall chaired the subcommittee on interior appropriations and Heinrich sat on the authorizing committee for Interior bills and he blinked. We saw a SEAL cut and run. In a way, though, he was still a 'pirate', as he stole the future away from some 30+ plus ranching families. His retreat means their defeat. His decision to do nothing wasn't 'roguish', it was foolish.

Zinke '100 percent confident' he'll be cleared in probes

U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke declared Monday he's "100 percent confident" no wrongdoing will be found in pending ethics investigations that have stirred speculation he could get ousted from President Donald Trump's Cabinet. The former Montana congressman and Navy SEAL faces a number of probes by federal investigators, including one involving dealings between a foundation Zinke created and the chairman of an energy company. In an interview with The Associated Press, Zinke said he has spoken in recent days with Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly about the probes and they remain supportive. He denied any wrongdoing. "I'm 100 percent confident that every investigation will always end up in the same conclusion, which is that I follow all rules, procedures and, most importantly the law," Zinke said. "I have no desire to leave. I know I'm effective and doing the right thing."...MORE