Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, Ryan Zinke’s Department of the Interior denied multiple reports that a Trump political appointee will soon leave the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and take over as the head inspector general (IG) overseeing investigations into the Secretary, claiming that an email send by HUD Secretary Ben Carson was false.
The move to transfer a political appointee into the Interior oversight role as Secretary Zinke faces an unprecedented number of investigations prompted immediate criticism and inquiries from Congressional Democrats.
In response, Athan Manuel, Director of the Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program, issued the following statement:
“Yet again, Ryan Zinke is trying to blame anyone but himself when he gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar. If Zinke thought he could bring in a political appointee to shield himself from meaningful investigation without anyone noticing, he was sorely mistaken. These flimsy efforts to point the finger at another agency and deny the truth only make it more clear that this was an attempt to escape accountability for his wrongdoing and corruption. A year spent racking up more scandals than any Interior Secretary in history doesn’t deserve a cover-up, it deserves dismissal.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.