Interior secretary's travels are under investigation

Zinke with President Trump
(Las Vegas Review-Journal photo)

The Interior Department's inspector general is investigating Secretary Ryan Zinke’s travel, "from his use of taxpayer-funded charter and military planes to his mixing of official trips with political appearances," reports Lisa Rein of The Washington Post.

“It’s not just one trip,” Nancy K. DiPaolo, a spokesperson for Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall, told Rein. “It’s seven months of travel.” DiPaolo said the investigation was prompted by complaints from the public and recent newspaper articles. "Reps. Raúl M. Grijalva (Ariz.) and A. Donald McEachin (Va.), the top Democrats, respectively, on the House Committee on Natural Resources and the panel’s subcommittee on oversight and investigations, also requested an investigation," Rein notes.

"Zinke, a former Navy SEAL commander and former congressman from Montana, is one of several Trump administration cabinet secretaries whose travel is under scrutiny," Rein notes. "Tom Price, another former member of Congress who was secretary of [the Department of] Health and Human Services, resigned Friday after taking at least $400,000 in chartered flights at taxpayer expense. The watchdog for the Environmental Protection Agency also is investigating agency head Scott Pruitt’s frequent travels to his home state of Oklahoma."