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.
I don’t know this Grijalva fellow, but I’m getting the impression that Zinke is pretty much an asshole.
I have met this Grijalva fellow and I think he’s a good guy and works hard for his constituents. Haven’t met him, but Zinke, not so much.
Grijalva is a Congressman in Southern AZ and is effective and much loved. Zinke is way way out of his political league in going personal on Grijalva. I believe he will chair the Interior Committee come Jan.
Thank you for identifying him. I have never heard of him before.
Zinke doesn’t seem to get it that the do-what-I-want and say-what-I-want times are over, come January they are not going to have any friends running interference for him in House, insulting the guys that now how the power to rake them thru the coals is not the best strategy.