A federal watchdog group is looking into U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke鈥檚 family land deal with an oil executive. But Zinke is calling the controversy fake news.
The Interior Secretary voiced his anger over a recent news report drawing ties between him and the head of oil and gas giant Halliburton.
鈥淭his is exactly what鈥檚 wrong with the press,鈥� he said on the radio show Wednesday. 鈥淭he President has it right. It鈥檚 fake news.鈥�
While Zinke is dismissing the controversy, the U.S. Interior Department鈥檚 Inspector General says it may warrant an investigation.
Here鈥檚 what we know:
Halliburton chairman and former CEO David Lesar, his son and a real estate developer plan on building a shared parking lot at a veteran鈥檚 park owned by Zinke鈥檚 family foundation.
Zinke resigned from directing that foundation when he became Interior Secretary and his wife, Lola, took over. But five months after joining President Trump鈥檚 cabinet, Zinke met with the three men in his D.C. office.
鈥淲e go out to dinner, we talk about the background of the park, what are the neighbors like, what was the vision of the park, where the boundaries are, what the railroad is, so they had the background,鈥� Zinke said.
U.S. House Democrats argue that meeting shows a conflict of interest.
This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, Yellowstone Public Radio in Montana, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.
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