Scandals mount at Interior under Bernhardt two weeks after being confirmed

Chris Saeger, executive director for the nonprofit Western Values Project, told ThinkProgress on Thursday that Bernhardt’s “special interest conflicts are longer than a CVS receipt” and that his leadership at DOI has already been disconcerting for public lands advocates.

“Preventing the rot of corruption within America’s largest land managing agency will clearly require vigilant oversight and enforcement outside of the department’s leadership,” Saeger said, arguing that ongoing scandals and ethics lapses at DOI have come “at the expense of America’s outdoor heritage.

“Under Bernhardt, the command appears to be granting favors to extractive industries, science be damned, while fighting tooth and nail to keep the public in the dark,” said Jesse Prentice-Dunn, policy director for the Center for Western Priorities, in an email to ThinkProgress on Thursday.”

Trump Administration “draining the swamp”?

SWAMP WATCH:

Scandals mount at Interior under Bernhardt two weeks after being confirmed

Ethics probes are still in full swing.