Ryan Zinke followed me as U.S. Secretary of the Interior – it was a disaster. I was hopeful when he was nominated because I know the State of Montana values its public lands, has a rich diversity of tribes, and depends more than most states on a functional, supportive Department of the Interior. Zinke and I met for dinner on the eve of his confirmation hearing in January 2017 so I could share some thoughts with him about the importance of the position, challenges the Department and its career staff were facing, the Senate confirmation process, and my commitment to helping him and his team succeed through and beyond the transition.
After 18 ethics investigations were launched against Zinke by multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Justice and the House Oversight Committee, he resigned under a cloud of controversy after just two years. These involved conflicts of interest over a self-serving land deal with an energy company executive, questionable use of federal resources for personal purposes, violations of Hatch Act rules on campaigning while using taxpayer resources, retaliating against employees, and more. Beyond these formal investigations, Interior staff shared that he regularly went home to California – not Montana – with his wife on trips he claimed were for purposes of carrying out his federal duties. He even tried to increase the cost to Montanans and tourists for visiting their national parks and undermined a program to provide free access to national parks and public lands for fourth graders! In response, a bipartisan majority in Congress codified that important educational program into law in 2019 through the “Every Kid Outdoors Act.”
During my time as Secretary, I enjoyed many trips to Montana, working with tribes and dedicated public servants like Senator Jon Tester, celebrating the Centennial of the National Park Service in 2016 at the Roosevelt Gate entrance to Yellowstone National Park, supporting access for hunting, fishing, and camping on public lands, preventing mining in the Yellowstone River watershed, visiting Glacier National Park with the USGS to witness the impact of shrinking glaciers, working with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to take over the National Bison Range, and reversing 30-plus-year-old oil and gas leases in Badger Two Medicine – an area sacred to the Blackfeet Nation that should never have been leased in the first place.
Public service, whether elected or appointed, is a high calling that depends on people upholding the law, listening to all perspectives, and serving the public above all else. Ryan Zinke did not live up to this calling. Elected officials like Montana’s senior Senator Jon Tester exemplify a commitment to ethics and service above self and deserve to be re-elected. Monica Tranel, candidate for Montana’s first congressional district and Zinke’s opponent – who grew up on a Montana ranch, worked to put herself through law school, and represented our nation in two Olympic games – knows about hard work, commitment to service, and the importance of the rule of law. Montana deserves ethical and committed representation, like the re-election of Senator Jon Tester and the election of Monica Tranel.
Sally Jewell was the U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 2013 to 2017.