By Jon Dougherty
When POTUS Donald Trump and others of his administration complain that Democrats and the Left-wing ‘deep state’ are united in opposing him for the sake of opposition and nothing more, they’re not kidding, as the latest #resist effort proves.
Newly-installed Interior Secretary David Bernhardt has only been in office for a week and he’s already under investigation by his own agency’s inspector general.
Bernhardt, a former lobbyist who served as Interior’s deputy secretary, replaced President Trump’s first pick, former Navy SEAL Ryan Zinke, who resigned after he fell under investigation as well for alleged ethics violations.
Now it’s Bernhardt’s turn, CNBC reports:
The confirmation comes less than a week after the Senate confirmed Bernhardt to his position. It keeps the spotlight on the nation’s top steward of public lands, whose past lobbying for energy and agribusiness clients drew scrutiny from Democrats during confirmation hearings.
[…]
The disclosure was made in a letter to Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., and Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M. Last month, the lawmakers asked the inspector general to look into whether there was anything improper about Bernhardt’s participation in regulatory activity that affected former clients. Bernhardt previously chaired the natural resources practice at lobbying and law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall told the lawmakers the office “has received seven complaints, including yours, from a wide assortment of complainants and have opened an investigation to address them.â€
Translation: Because Trump’s Interior picks share his vision of opening federal lands to more commercial development while turning over more responsibility for them to states, the Left-wing environmental extremist lobby that has long controlled the department’s bureaucracy is doing everything in its power to thwart that agenda.
Even to the detriment of the national economy and the federal government.
The requested investigation came after The New York Times reported that Bernhardt was involved in helping to ease wildlife protections what would benefit former farming clients in California. The Times said that Bernhardt continued working for a former client — the Westlands Water District — after he stopped lobbying several months earlier.
A spokesperson for the Interior Department told the Times that the secretary’s work did not constitute “regulated lobbying activity.” The official added that Bernhardt “is in complete compliance with his ethics agreement and all applicable laws, rules, and regulations.”
“Secretary Bernhardt is hopeful the Inspector General will expeditiously complete a review of the facts associated with the questions raised by Democratic Members of Congress and DC political organizations,” said Press Secretary Faith Vander Voort in a statement.
Before Zinke, another of Trump’s environmental conservatives, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, resigned last July amid at least 14 separate federal investigations over his spending habits, management habits and potential conflicts of interest.
As we reported in April 2018, insiders at the Environmental Protection Agency said that Pruitt was being set up.
Former Trump campaign official Kevin Chmielewski, also a former EPA deputy chief of staff for operations, supplied congressional Democrats with a lengthy list of accusations regarding Pruitt, claiming “wasteful spending†and a “disregard for ethical and legal requirements.â€
The Daily Caller added:
But many of Chmielewski’s claims have been called into question by two sources familiar with Pruitt’s security detail. One source told The Daily Caller News Foundation of Chmielewski’s claims that “more than 60 percent is false, the other 40 percent is information he distorted.â€
One of the objectives of the Democrat-aligned Washington establishment is to make POTUS Trump and his administration so radioactive that no one wants to come near it. That should help you understand these unprecedented numbers of investigations.
- Follow Jon Dougherty on Twitter at @JonDougherty10
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Keep in mind that Leftists always always accuse others of what they themselves do. It never fails.
Can anyone in authority in the swamp start handing out pink slips to employees who are obviously abusing their position and authority for political interests.
The dems having been doing this for so long. I recall they went after Reagan’s Interior Secretary Watt for years and never found anything.
Stand up and fight. They will always win if you never show up!
Hang the Deep State Traitors without a TRIAL, That will piss them off.
This is what happens when a political party runs out of proactive ideas to help the American people, they become whining, sniping, lying obstructors. The socialist-democrats have nothing to offer to help Americans achieve the American dream. Nothing. Obstruct, obstruct, obstruct. And they’re running on empty in the obstruction game. Pitiful losers.
The only results the Left are obtaining with their CONSTANT obstruction is accidentally proving that these nominees are all as CLEAN as a whistle…and they’re convincing mainstream Americans that Democrats are corrupt interlopers. They’re starting to get a collective eye-roll from the public whenever they announce ANOTHER contrived investigation. I love it! As Hillary proved to us…just give the Democrats enough rope and stand back!