, Columnist
Ryan Zinke and the Murky Interior of Trumpworld
Even in a department with such a colorful history, the current secretary stands out for his plethora of ethical investigations.
Ryan Zinke has faced at least 18 probes into his actions at the Interior Department.
Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images
There is a long, colorful history of corruption involving the Interior Department.
Fraudulent deals implicating the federal government's public land and resources management agency were frequent in the 19th century. Back in the 1920s, President Warren Harding's administration used the agency to strike cozy, bribe-fueled deals granting oil companies access to the U.S. Navy's petroleum reserves at three locations, including a Wyoming site known as Teapot Dome.