ICYMI: Zinke’s Agenda Fails While He Angles Himself for a Presidential Run

Ryan Zinke continues to hide behind EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s ever growing list of scandals and legal violations as he extorts the American taxpayers to pay for his luxurious travel, pretends he’s a geologist (perhaps he’s been watching too much Seinfeld), and uses his position to set himself up for a future presidential run. While Zinke has been focusing on himself, he’s been failing in his attempts to further a dangerous agenda at Interior.

Let’s take a look back at Zinke’s recent indiscretions:

• An Inspector General’s report issued early this week found that despite Zinke’s claims to the contrary, a $12,000 private flight was not properly vetted by the Interior ethics office. In what seems to be typical Zinke style, the impaired vetting followed a failure by Sec. Zinke to provide full details on his trip. The findings echo those of earlier investigations, which faulted poor record keeping for their inability to determine the legality of his actions.  Zinke’s abuse of travel expenses extends back to his days in the military.

• Zinke’s not a geologist, but he likes to play one on TV.  Reporting from CNN revealed that Zinke has used his false geologist credentials at least 40 times, including in Congressional testimony to support his environmental rollbacks.

• Zinke has been quite busy trying to position himself for a potential presidential run. Earlier this month, a poll was conducted in Iowa, testing his name recognition. Meanwhile, a secretive political group with ties to Mike Pence has been paying for presidential-like ads featuring Zinke and calling on those viewing it to contact their Senator. Odd enough as they’re airing in Washington, DC, a city without a Senator.

• Interior actually considered spending $200,000 on flagpoles to appease Zinke’s self-aggrandising need for a larger flag. Failure to hoist the flag when Zinke is in office apparently warrants accountability actions.

• And last but certainly not least, it turns out that Zinke is a birther and has floated the theory that there was a third Boston bomber connected to Michelle Obama.

But it’s not just his scandals and ambitious actions that are raising eyebrows, it’s Zinke’s recent failures as well:

• Zinke tried to nearly triple entry fees at national parks across the country. But he was met with overwhelming opposition to his plan, and has now concdeded defeat. Now all eyes are on whether he will allow the popular Every Kid in a Park program to continue.The program ensures every student in U.S. schools has free access to national parks in their fourth grade year. Zinke previously blamed school children-- along with the elderly, veterans and the disabled for the park maintenance backlog.

• As Zinke continues to face widespread opposition to his reckless plan to expand offshore oil and gas drilling into nearly every corner of America’s waters, he was forced -- yet again -- to walk back his plans and suggest that Maine might be exempt from drilling. Now, in addition to his controversial, and possible illegal, exemption for Florida, Zinke has also suggested possible protections for the Pacificand the Atlantic, making it clear that no one, including Zinke, has any idea what Interior’s offshore drilling plans really are.