You are here

Interior Secretary Calls Rep. Grijalva A Drunk In Tweet

Share

Published Date

November 30, 2018
Zinke calls Grijalva a drunk in tweet

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke responded to U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva's call Friday for him to resign with a tweet calling the Democrat a drunk who has wasted taxpayer dollars trying to cover it up.

For Zinke, who pledged on his first day in office to hold Interior officials and staff to the highest ethical standards, the tweet also seemed counter to the moral character expectations the U.S. Navy has for Seals. The secretary frequently points to his days as a Seal.

Congressman Grijalva, who is expected to assume the chair of the House Natural Resources Committee in January and as such will have investigative authority over Secretary Zinke and actions he has taken, was brief in his reaction to the tweet.

“The American people know who I’m here to serve, and they know in whose interests I’m acting. They don’t know the same about Secretary Zinke," said the Democrat.

Spurring Zinke to castigate Rep. Grijalva was the congressman's op-ed piece in USA Today on Friday that called on the Interior secretary to resign.

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. Those fears are justified. Mr. Zinke has never even tried to offer an explanation for the sheer scope of his well-documented scandals.

This silence is insulting to the American people, and given the Nov. 6 election results it is unsustainable. [. . .]

The American people need an Interior Department focused on addressing climate change, enhancing public recreation, protecting endangered species and upholding the sovereign rights of Native American communities. These are not matters of personal preference – they are enshrined in law and supported by voters. The department needs someone accountable at the helm who believes in this mission.

Mr. Zinke is not that person. Federal agencies cannot function without credible leadership, and he offers none. He needs to resign.

Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift did not respond Friday to an inquiry about the secretary's tweet.

The secretary's tweet did not provide context for his allegations, but a Washington Times story from November 2017 claimed Grivalja arranged a $48,395 payoff to a former staffer who claimed he was often drunk in his office and that led to a hostile work environment. The congressman has denied the allegations, and in an op-ed piece that ran on Tuscon.com he wrote that "I do not work while drunk and have never had a hostile workplace environment."

Rep. Grijalva added that a non-disclosure agreement has prevented him from discussing the alleged settlement in more detail.

Secretary Zinke has been under scrutiny practically since the day he was sworn in. Critics have said he is too close to the energy industry that can profit from public lands exploration on- and offshore.

The secretary was heavy criticized for his role in President Trump's decision to shrink Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments in Utah by a combined 2 million acres. While Interior's Office of Inspector General recently cleared Secretary Zinke of any wrongdoing in how the redrawn boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante moved a prominent Utah politician's property out of the monument, several other investigations in the secretary's actions continue.

One of those pending investigations is looking into whether the Interior Department blocked a casino deal in Connecticut, while another regards conversations Zinke had with then-Halliburton Chairman David Lesar about a development project in Zinke's hometown of Whitefish, Montana.

Comments

Well this relationship is off to a great start. 


Another new low.    


Another new low.    

My sentiments exactly.


Quite a contrast.  The passing of a true hero in President Bush who was always authentic and modest - with our current Secretary of the Interior who makes classless comments like this and is all about himself.

God Bless the Greatest Generation!!!


The National Parks are too precious to let a money hungry bumbler waste them!


So now Zinke is following Trump's childish example and tweeting insults?  No surprise.

As for Grijalva, I really don't know much about him except that he's been a stalwart champion of the environment and our parks for a long time.

 But if it's true that he's really just one more in a very long list of powerful people who don't deserve to hold power, then he -- along with the rest of them -- need to be removed from office.  There are more than enough examples of the slimy sludge flowing freely throughout D.C. and so much more of our nation.  It's long past time for voters to start working to flush the cesspool.

The only solution is to completely clean out our government.  We need to virtually start all over again by voting out nearly all incumbents in both parties.  Get the huge amounts of money out of campaigns; ban -- or at least seriously restrict -- lobbyist;  set firm and short term limits and allow the people of this country to reclaim our government.

It's no wonder that so many people simply don't bother to vote in elections any more.  With this kind of non-stop nonsense, many ask why bother?

But can you imagine how surprised those creeps in high places might be if more people actually did some homework and then voted accordingly? 

 


My comment yesterday and an email response from Kurt got me to thinking (perhaps a bit late, though) and led me to some further research.  Here are links to several articles that others may read to reach their own conclusions as to who deserves blame and credit here.

https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/raul-grijalva-ryan-zinke-throwdown

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/11/30/interior-secretary-zi...

https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060108405

There are a bunch of sources out there in addition to these which I simply picked at random.

And from a book written by Zinke: In his memoir, "American Commander," Zinke recounts some of his own experiences with booze.

"Among the SEALs, alcohol was used as frequently as firearms and chewing gum," Zinke wrote. "There was a bar in every team room. Despite that, no man drank on duty. But once that beer lamp was lit, man, these guys drank like Prohibition was right around the corner."

I guess I was reacting yesterday not so much to Grijalva as to the endless stupidity of today's Washington.  It's up to voters to make the future different. 


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

FREE for iPhones and Android phones.