Mr. Ryan Zinke would be leaving President Donald Trump’s White House administration amid pressure to step down from the Interior Department over allegations of ethics violations.
It was originally believed the United States' (US') Secretary of Interior would announce the decision on Wednesday, 19th December 2018 but in the morning of Saturday, 15th December 2018, the president tweeted: “Secretary of the Interior @RyanZinke will be leaving the Administration at the end of the year after having served for a period of almost two years.
“Ryan has accomplished much during his tenure and I want to thank him for his service to our Nation.”
The move arrived amidst vows from Democrats to launch numerous ethics probes, which would have resulted in costly legal fees for Mr. Zinke – a factor in his decision to resign from the department, Bloomberg reported.
President Trump also tweeted that a decision about his replacement would be announced next week.
Mr. Zinke, a former Republican congressman from Montana, is leaving his post weeks before Democrats take control of the House, a shift in power that promised to intensify probes into his conduct.
It would be recalled that He played a leading part in the president’s efforts to roll back environmental regulations and promote domestic energy development.
It's noteworthy that his departure comes amid a staff shake-up as Mr. Trump heads into his third year in office. The president on Friday, December 14, 2018 named Budget Director, Mr. Mick Mulvaney as new Chief of Staff, replacing Mr. John Kelly who would be leaving his post by the new year come 2019.
The interior secretary previously declared this year he was “100 per cent confident”, hence no wrongdoing would be found in the pending investigations against him.
Mr. Zinke faces a number of probes by federal investigators, including one involving dealings between a foundation he created and the chairman of an energy company.
“I’m 100 percent confident that every investigation will always end up in the same conclusion, which is that I follow all rules, procedures and, most importantly, the law,” Mr Zinke said in a November interview. “I have no desire to leave. I know I’m effective and doing the right thing.
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