What Montanans are Reading: Lyin’ Ryan Zinke’s Latest Ethics Scandal Makes Front Page News

It’s been one day since a Trump–appointed watchdog found lyin’ Ryan Zinke violated ethics rules, misused his official position, and lied to ethics officials as Interior secretary – and it’s already made front pages across the state.

Here’s what Montanans are reading and watching about the disgraced former Interior secretary’s lies and ethics violations:

Fox News: Special Report With Bret Baier

     

Montana Public Radio: U.S. investigation finds that former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke misused position 

• Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke misused his position to advance a development project in his Montana hometown and failed to disclose details of his involvement when questioned by ethics officials, a federal investigation has found.

• Investigators found that Zinke did not comply with his ethics obligations, in which he agreed not to manage services associated with the foundation. Investigators also found that he misused his authority to direct subordinates to help with the project.

CNN: Trump-era Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated ethics rules while in office, watchdog report finds

• The new report from the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General focuses on Zinke’s involvement with the Great Northern Veterans Peace Park Foundation, which Zinke resigned from upon his confirmation as interior secretary in 2017.

• Despite resigning from the foundation and signing ethics pledges not to provide services to it, Zinke was found to have been involved in the foundation’s negotiations during his time as interior secretary, according to the report.

• Zinke faced several ethics questions throughout his time at the Interior Department, including multiple inquiries from the inspector general’s office related to the boundaries for the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, the department’s handling of a Connecticut casino project and his compliance with government travel policies.

NBC Montana (AP): US investigators: Zinke misused his Interior secretary job

• Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke misused his position to advance a commercial development project that included a microbrewery in his Montana hometown and lied to an agency ethics official about his involvement, federal investigators said Wednesday.

• Zinke, who is now running for Congress, also gave incorrect and incomplete information to an Interior Department ethics official who confronted him over his involvement and ordered agency staff to help him with the project in a misuse of his position, according to the investigator’s report.

• The department’s inspector general’s office — led by a Trump nominee, Mark Greenblatt — referred the results of the Zinke investigation to prosecutors.

KTVH (NBC): DayBreak

The Washington Post: Ryan Zinke broke ethics rules while leading Trump’s Interior Dept., keeping improper ties with land developers, watchdog finds

• The report found that Zinke broke federal ethics rules repeatedly by improperly participating in real estate negotiations with the then-chairman of the energy giant Halliburton and other developers.

• Zinke “was not simply a passthrough for information,” the report said. “He personally acted for or represented the Foundation in connection with the negotiations.”

• The Whitefish land deal was one of at least 15 inquiries launched into alleged misconduct by Zinke.

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