Trump's new interior chief met with lawyer for tribe linked to Zinke scandal
Source: The Guardian
Trump's new interior chief met with lawyer for tribe linked to Zinke scandal
David Bernhardt’s meeting, missing from past calendars, raises questions over secretary’s potential conflicts of interest
Emily Holden in Washington
Wed 17 Apr 2019 07.00 BST
The new interior secretary, David Bernhardt, met with a lawyer for a Native American tribe that is linked to the political scandal haunting Bernhardt’s predecessor, according to internal agency records.
The meeting was disclosed in daily summary cards released by the agency but had not been recorded in earlier calendars. It raises fresh questions about Bernhardt’s potential conflicts of interest.
A grand jury is reportedly investigating Zinke’s role in blocking requests from two tribes to operate a casino in Connecticut. Zinke’s decisions followed a major lobbying campaign revealed by Politico.
Now the previously unreleased records show Bernhardt, a former lobbyist, met with a lawyer who may have been involved in the fight.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/16/david-berhardt-ryan-zinke-scandal-meeting
