Rep. Raul Grijalva offered up restrained responses Friday to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s accusation that he has a drinking problem.
“The American people know who I’m here to serve, and they know in whose interests I’m acting,” Grijalva said in a statement obtained by TPM. “They don’t know the same about Secretary Zinke.”
Grijalva also took to Twitter to respond, the medium through which Zinke fired off his scorching attack.
The allegations against Secretary Zinke are credible and serious. Instead of addressing the substantive issues raised in this morning’s op-ed, he’s resorting to personal attacks. https://t.co/QRiVPAjxPv
— Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) November 30, 2018
The back-and-forth began when Grijalva penned an op-ed for USA Today calling on Zinke to resign his position due to both ethical violations and policy mismanagement.
Zinke’s accusation dates back to a settlement between Grijalva’s office and an employee who accused him of drunkenness on the job. Grijalva has denied the claim.