Ex-Interior Secretary Zinke hasn’t ruled out a return to politics: report

Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is not ruling out a return to politics despite leaving the Trump administration marred by ethical issues.

“The president didn’t want me to leave. I may or may not go back into the administration at a later time,” Zinke told the Houston Chronicle. “I believe in the president’s vision of making sure America is strong and not held hostage. The world is a lot safer when America is strong.”

Zinke told the Chronicle he was open to returning to Washington after the 2020 elections.

{mosads}The former Navy SEAL and Montana congressman announced he would leave his post at the Department of the Interior in December of last year, following a string of ethics investigations.

Zinke’s behavior spurred more than a dozen investigations into his conduct in office, including probes into whether he improperly blocked an American Indian casino project after a competitor’s lobbying and scrutiny over a land deal involving a foundation he led and a company backed by David Lesar, chairman of oilfield services company Halliburton.

Interior’s Office of Inspector General also found that Zinke violated department policies by letting his wife travel in government vehicles, but the office cleared him of potential violations related to his official travel, including flying on a jet owned by an oil executive and using a private plane on a trip that included a political fundraiser.

Zinke was dismissive of the investigations.

“There’s an allegation and the opposition demands an investigation with great fanfare,” he said. “Washington has become a city that has a lot of anger, a lot of hatred, a lot of fake news and false allegations. The two sides are trying to destroy each other rather than work together.”