December 15, 2018

I hope you're sitting down for this one. What I'm about to tell you will shock you, and maybe even knock the wind out of you on a moral level.

One of our "president's" cabinet officials is stepping down, and it's because of controversy surrounding his behavior.

I know, I know. Hard to believe. But 'tis true. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigned this morning, under a cloud of no fewer than fifteen (FIFTEEN!!!) investigations into his real estate dealings in Montana, and his use of resources as a cabinet member.

For Zinke the key moment in his loss of support at the White House came in October when Interior’s inspector general referred one of its inquiries to the Justice Department, according to two senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.

That probe, which is still ongoing, is examining whether a land deal Zinke struck with the chairman of oil services giant Halliburton in his hometown of Whitefish, Mont., constituted as a conflict of interest.

Word on the street was he wanted to resign before he was fired, and he had little time left before that happened. He has a horrendous record on preservation of the environment, favoring the importation of elephant trophies, and opening up federally protected land and water for oil drilling. It isn't as if his successor is likely to have a much more protective attitude, but, you know, we're supposed to keep you all informed as the parade of fools marches in and out of the Cabinet doors.

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