President Trump on Monday announced his nominee for Secretary of the Interior, a position that was recently vacated by Ryan Zinke.
President Trump on Monday announced his nominee for Secretary of the Interior, a position that was recently vacated by Ryan Zinke. Trump said in a tweet: "I am pleased to announce that David Bernhardt, Acting Secretary of the Interior, will be nominated as Secretary of the Interior. David has done a fantastic job from the day he arrived, and we look forward to having his nomination officially confirmed!"
Zinke's departure was reported in December.
According to Bloomberg, sources had indicated at the time that Zinke's decision to step down was prompted by mounting pressure over "federal investigations into his travel, political activity and potential conflicts of interest."
The Washington Post notes Bernhardt is a "veteran lobbyist who has helped orchestrate the administration's push to expand oil and gas drilling as the Interior Department's number-two official."