Well, it just gets worse with Zinke the Swamp Creature.
From an article in Politico: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/10/zinke-trips-fundraisers-ski-resort-243651
Here are the highlights from the article:
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has attended at least two additional political fundraisers while traveling for official business, including a weekend ski getaway less than three weeks after he was sworn in that donors paid up to $3,000 to attend, according to sources and documents reviewed by POLITICO.
Zinke's previously undisclosed attendance at the events adds to scrutiny he is facing over his habit of mixing political activities with official business when traveling outside of Washington, D.C., and to questions over travel expenses incurred by members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. In addition to the fundraisers, Zinke has held at least a half-dozen other events with big donors or influential conservative organizations while on official trips.
All three fundraisers occurred on trips that Zinke took for official Interior Department business. The Hatch Act and other federal laws allow Cabinet secretaries to participate in partisan political activities only if they do so on their own time and do not use any governmental resources. Federal Election Commission records for the campaign committees do not list any reimbursement payments to Interior for the events.
"Both law and common sense tell us that taxpayer resources are supposed to be used when you're doing the taxpayers' business [but] are not supposed to be used to help candidates get elected," said Brendan Fischer of the nonprofit watchdog organization Campaign Legal Center
The Hatch Act bars Zinke from taking part in political events while acting in his official role as Interior secretary, which includes being identified by his title in invitations. But Richard Painter, a University of Minnesota professor and former White House chief ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, said Daines referring to Zinke's Cabinet position doesn't appear to violate the law.
Zinke "should take reasonable steps to make sure people aren't using his official title" and not use the title himself at political events, Painter said. "But I don't know that he has an obligation to jump in and tell the senator he can't do that."
POLITICO’s report on Zinke’s appearance in that photo line led Walter Shaub, a former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics who is now with the Campaign Legal Center, to ask the Office of Special Counsel to open a Hatch Act investigation.
It is hard to imagine that Zinke has been entrusted with OUR Public Lands. The abuses of his position as Secretary of the Interior are stunning and depressing.
All sportsmen and women who value OUR Public Lands need to rally against Zinke.
He is a shill, a Swamp Creature extraordinaire who is beholding only to his Swamp masters – The Extraction Industry.
Fight. Don’t stay silent. Call your Congressional leaders and voice your outrage and opinion. Do it now – Zinke and his ilk are warming up the CAT D-9’s and slinging chain on the drill rod.
Cheers,
Mark
Ye shall be free to roam……
P.S. Please no parroting the early morning talks shows about the evils of the elitist Lefties. (Use your own brain and think, like IBM says).
From an article in Politico: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/10/zinke-trips-fundraisers-ski-resort-243651
Here are the highlights from the article:
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has attended at least two additional political fundraisers while traveling for official business, including a weekend ski getaway less than three weeks after he was sworn in that donors paid up to $3,000 to attend, according to sources and documents reviewed by POLITICO.
Zinke's previously undisclosed attendance at the events adds to scrutiny he is facing over his habit of mixing political activities with official business when traveling outside of Washington, D.C., and to questions over travel expenses incurred by members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. In addition to the fundraisers, Zinke has held at least a half-dozen other events with big donors or influential conservative organizations while on official trips.
All three fundraisers occurred on trips that Zinke took for official Interior Department business. The Hatch Act and other federal laws allow Cabinet secretaries to participate in partisan political activities only if they do so on their own time and do not use any governmental resources. Federal Election Commission records for the campaign committees do not list any reimbursement payments to Interior for the events.
"Both law and common sense tell us that taxpayer resources are supposed to be used when you're doing the taxpayers' business [but] are not supposed to be used to help candidates get elected," said Brendan Fischer of the nonprofit watchdog organization Campaign Legal Center
The Hatch Act bars Zinke from taking part in political events while acting in his official role as Interior secretary, which includes being identified by his title in invitations. But Richard Painter, a University of Minnesota professor and former White House chief ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, said Daines referring to Zinke's Cabinet position doesn't appear to violate the law.
Zinke "should take reasonable steps to make sure people aren't using his official title" and not use the title himself at political events, Painter said. "But I don't know that he has an obligation to jump in and tell the senator he can't do that."
POLITICO’s report on Zinke’s appearance in that photo line led Walter Shaub, a former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics who is now with the Campaign Legal Center, to ask the Office of Special Counsel to open a Hatch Act investigation.
It is hard to imagine that Zinke has been entrusted with OUR Public Lands. The abuses of his position as Secretary of the Interior are stunning and depressing.
All sportsmen and women who value OUR Public Lands need to rally against Zinke.
He is a shill, a Swamp Creature extraordinaire who is beholding only to his Swamp masters – The Extraction Industry.
Fight. Don’t stay silent. Call your Congressional leaders and voice your outrage and opinion. Do it now – Zinke and his ilk are warming up the CAT D-9’s and slinging chain on the drill rod.
Cheers,
Mark
Ye shall be free to roam……
P.S. Please no parroting the early morning talks shows about the evils of the elitist Lefties. (Use your own brain and think, like IBM says).
