Trump says he's not firing Interior Secretary Zinke
From left: Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow, Glacier National Park Conservancy Executive Director Doug Mitchell, and US Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke in Columbia Falls on Saturday (Patrick Reilly/Daily Inter Lake)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his boss, President Donald Trump, moved Friday to tamp down talk that Zinke might be the next Trump administration official to go.
The 57-year-old former Montana congressman and state lawmaker from Whitefish has pushed to develop oil, natural gas and coal beneath public lands in line with the administration’s business-friendly aims. But Zinke has been dogged by ethics probes, including one centered on a Whitefish land deal involving a foundation he created and the chairman of an energy services company that does business with Interior.
Trump’s long-anticipated ouster this week of Attorney General Jeff Sessions seemed to make good on expectations that Trump would shake up the ranks of officials after Tuesday’s midterms. Trump told reporters Wednesday he might reach some resolution about Zinke in about a week.
Asked outright by reporters Friday if he would fire Zinke, however, Trump said, “No, I’m going to look into any complaints.”
Speaking Friday to a radio station in Montana, Zinke dismissed reports he already was hunting for his next job.
“I think I’m probably going to be the commander of space command,” Zinke said. “How’s that one?”
“I enjoy working for the president,” Zinke added. “Now, if you do your job, he supports you.”
In an email, Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift said Zinke was “denying in strongest possible terms” any plans to leave.
Zinke has denied wrongdoing, and his lawyer said Zinke has not been notified of any Justice Department investigation. Two sources told AP earlier that the Interior Office of Inspector General referred an investigation of Zinke to Justice, signaling a potential escalation amid a series of inquiries into Zinke’s conduct.
Investigators also are reviewing Zinke’s decision to block two tribes from opening a casino in Connecticut and his redrawing of boundaries to shrink a Utah national monument.
Zinke also Friday said he won’t run for Montana governor in 2020.
Zinke told KBUL-AM Friday that he’s not going to enter the race. He says there are exciting candidates who will be running and that he plans to continue his job at the Interior Department.
Zinke had been considered a possible contender for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
When asked for confirmation, Swift told The Associated Press that she can’t comment on campaigns, “but you should trust the secretary’s very definitive answer.”
Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock is in his final term, giving Republicans a chance to take back a seat that they haven’t held since 2005.
Republican Attorney General Tim Fox has said he’s considering running for the open seat.
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Matt Volz in Helena, Montana, contributed to this report.