Reports: Rep. Ryan Zinke Tapped To Serve As Secretary Of The Interior

Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke
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President-elect Donald Trump has selected Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) to serve as secretary of the Department of the Interior, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.

Zinke, an ex-Navy Seal commander, has yet to accept the offer and has not yet indicated whether he intends to do so, Politico reported. He is reportedly also in talks to run in 2018 for the Montana Senate seat now held by Jon Tester (D-MT).

Both Trump’s transition team and Zinke’s office declined to comment, according to Politico.

Zinke was an early supporter of Trump, endorsing him in May on “Fox and Friends.” Zinke is a supporter of the outdoors and hunting, and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership President Whit Fosburgh told The Washington Post that the partnership would be supportive of his nomination.

“He’s shown courage and commitment to public lands and conservation, and someone we think would be an excellent secretary of Interior,” Fosburgh told the paper.

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  1. The only thing I know about this guy is that he appeared on a bunch of TV shows on The Military Channel and perhaps others that I saw on Cable, where they discussed the Osama Bin Laden raid, and his point was to be critical of President Obama and imply that President Obama did not deserve credit for ordering the raid or for its success. His political career was launched off of those appearances on TV. I would like to know his position on the Bundys and that issue of free use of public land. This guy wants to be President or Tom Cotton’s running mate.

  2. If he’s up for Interior, then one (or all) of the following apply:

    1. He’s rich.
    2. He knows nothing about the agency or the land for which it’s responsible.
    3. He wants to drill and/or strip mine our national parks or sell the land to private parties.
    4. He wants to eliminate the Department of the Interior.
  3. So what happened to McMorris Rodgers?

    At least that’s a name that Tester can cross off the list.

    Maybe

  4. Typical Republican: “Obama didn’t kill bin Laden. Seal Team 6 did!”
    Sensible person: “OK. By the way - why did we want bin Laden dead?”
    Typical Republican: “He killed all of those people on 9/11!”
    Sensible person: “No, he didn’t kill anyone. The people who died on 9/11 were killed by the hijackers, and all of them died that day.”
    Typical Republican: “Obama wasn’t born in the U.S.!”

  5. I’m also curious about her disappearing nomination. Maybe she didn’t want to hop in the flaming wreck? Or Trump/Bannon made a pass at her?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

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