Not long after he took office, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke reminded his employees of their ethical obligations, and said "I intend to make holding one another accountable to the highest ethical standards a top priority." Has he?
Here are some of the issues that have come up since he was sworn in:
* In November in its annual report to the Interior secretary, the Office of Inspector General said the department "continues to face challenges ... in holding all of its employees, including senior officials, to the highest standards of ethical conduct; ensuring that the consequences of wrongdoing are clearly understood; taking decisive actions to address unacceptable behavior; and providing relevant ethics training to all employees."
* In reviewing questionable travel expenses for Secretary Zinke, the Inspector General's review has been slowed "by absent, or incomplete documentation for several pertinent trips and a review process that failed to include proper documentation and accountability," Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall told Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt in a letter in mid-November.
The Inspector General's office opened the investigation into Secretary Zinke's travel in September after he spent $12,375 on a charter flight from Las Vegas to Kalispell, Montana, so he could attend a function in his hometown of Whitefish, Montana. A commercial flight would have cost the secretary around $300.
After news broke of the charter expense, Secretary Zinke referred to it as "a little BS over travel."
* Secretary Zinke drew criticism after it was learned that in April he took his wife and aunt on a boat trip to Channel Islands National Park where, among other things, there was a swearing-in ceremony for Junior Rangers.
* Secretary Zinke, who leaned on Alaska's U.S. senators in a bid to secure their votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act, was to be investigated by his department's Office of Inspector General for possible ethical and/or legal violations. Mr. Zinke placed phone calls to U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan in July to urge them to vote for repeal or be prepared for a little less help from Interior on issues key to Alaska.
* A former National Park Service official who was found to have ignored Park Service regulations and pushed through a permit to allow the owner of the Washington Redskins to cut down trees in a scenic easement along Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park was appointed to help lead the agency.
* Politico has reported that Secretary Zinke "is facing multiple investigations for his pattern of mixing politics and official business during taxpayer-funded travels.
* Politico also reported that the Interior secretary "spent more than $14,000 on government helicopters this summer to take himself and staff to and from official events near Washington, D.C., in order to accommodate his attendance at a swearing-in ceremony for his replacement in Congress and a horseback ride with Vice President Mike Pence."
* Questions have surfaced over Mr. Zinke's wife, Lolita, who has been described as a Republican Party "activist and consultant," and her use of Interior Department staff.
* Mr. Zinke drew condemnation from some quarters after declaring that he wanted to open much of the Outer Continental Shelf to oil and gas development and within days said Florida's coastline would be off-limits to the exploration.
Shortly after he was sworn in as Interior secretary, Mr. Zinke told his 70,000-some employees that they had to perform at the highest ethical standards to maintain the country's trust.
"As your Secretary, I pledge to adhere to the principles outlined by the President (in an executive order addressing ethical standards) and in our ethics statutes, the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, and the Department’s supplemental agency ethics regulations. The first general principle outlined in the Standards of Ethical Conduct is that public service is a matter of public trust and I intend to continue to live that example here at the Department," wrote Mr. Zinke.
"My core values were shaped by my family and community in Montana and they were strengthened during my 23 years serving as a U.S. Navy SEAL," Secretary Zinke said in closing his letter to the staff. "Integrity, personal responsibility, and respect are chief among them. I look forward to working with you on promoting an ethical culture we can all be proud of here at the Department of the Interior."
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