New analysis: Ryan Zinke’s conduct attracts unprecedented scrutiny from Interior watchdog

Overtaxed Inspector General unable to keep up with allegations of misconduct as Zinke racks up more investigations than his four predecessors combined

DENVER—Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is facing at least a dozen investigations into allegations of official misconduct, an unprecedented level of scrutiny that surpasses even the Jack Abramoff era of corruption at the Interior Department.

A new analysis by the Center for Western Priorities found nine confirmed investigations by the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, with at least three more investigations requested by members of Congress.

“Ryan Zinke has only been in office for a year, and he’s already facing more investigations than the last four Interior secretaries combined,” said Aaron Weiss, media director at the Center for Western Priorities.

The previous secretaries—Sally Jewell, Ken Salazar, Dirk Kempthorne, and Gale Norton—were the subjects of a combined 11 investigations over 16 years. Norton, who was secretary during the Jack Abramoff tribal gaming scandal, faced five investigations.

The speed at which Ryan Zinke has racked up investigations in his first year has strained the resources of the Inspector General’s office, which has informed Congress that it can only begin even preliminary reviews of Zinke’s actions “once staff becomes available.”

“It’s troubling that the Inspector General doesn’t have the resources to quickly and thoroughly investigate all of these allegations of misconduct,” Weiss added. “It sends a clear message to the secretary and his political appointees: this watchdog has no teeth.”

In a letter requesting more funding for Interior investigators, Representatives Raúl Grijalva and Donald McEachin, the ranking members of the House Natural Resources Committee and Oversight Subcommittee, noted that the number of OIG complaints increased by 27 percent from FY 2015 to FY 2017, yet the Inspector General opened investigations into just seven percent of the complaints it received last year.

CWP’s full analysis of Interior OIG investigations is available today. Source material, including links to final OIG reports, is also online.

For more information, visit westernpriorities.org. To speak with an expert on public lands, contact Aaron Weiss at 720-279-0019 or aaron@westernpriorities.org. Sign up for Look West to get daily public lands and energy news sent to your inbox.

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The Center for Western Priorities is a conservation policy and advocacy organizatiion

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6 Ways Women Can Empower

Themselves And Inspire Others

Women have faced many challenges throughout history, and the list is long of those who overcame adversity and became influential, inspirational figures.

Often, though, a young girl doesn’t have to read about famous females to find her heroes. Her mother’s actions while overcoming challenges and taking care of the family can influence and even help transform that daughter’s thinking well into her adult life.

Among the main life lessons that author, speaker and tech entrepreneur Betty Ng learned from her mother, Po-Ling, was that adversity doesn’t have to define you. Rather, it can strengthen, shape and liberate you to do important things and bring people together.

 “Anything is possible, regardless of your background, as long as we help each other to succeed,” says Ng, author of PO-LING POWER: Propelling Yourself and Others to Success and CEO of Inspiring Diversity, LLC (iD) (www.inspiringdiversity.com), which builds inclusive, collaborative and high-performing communities. 

Ng’s mother, Po-ling, was widowed and left to raise four young children. She earned two master’s degrees, became devoted to the community and was honored by the Chinese government for her work. She became her daughter’s inspiration in the process.

Now Ng focuses on the ability of people to inspire and lift each other to achieve goals. She offers six tips to women about empowering themselves, inspiring others and making a difference:

• Set priorities. “These are individually-defined and should also take into consideration your personal vision and passions,” Ng says. “It’s critical to align what you do or plan to do with your personal vision. This is how you find your authentic self.”
• Turn focus to others. As you make progress on becoming your best self, the focus, Ng says, can shift to finding ways to elevate others. “You should think about how your personal success should be tied to the success of your community, organization and those around you,” Ng says. “You are now empowered to do more for others.”
• Learn to Lead. “Being proactive is where leadership starts,” Ng says. “You take the initiative to drive change, not just waiting for others to act.”
• Inspire. “Inspiring others to follow you, exuding that confidence and conviction for what you believe in, makes good things happen,” Ng says. “And with people drawing that energy from each other, the possibilities are endless.”
• Network. “Establishing and leveraging your network brings strength and knowledge in numbers,” Ng says. “Building strong relationships leads to group opportunities they would not have had before. You collaborate and elevate.” 
• Grow. “We learn from all our experiences, both good and bad,” Ng says. “Mistakes and failing are ultimately about helping one to learn to succeed sooner. Embrace adversity, diversity, and change by taking every opportunity to challenge and reinvent yourself.”

“Life stories that you get from anyone about dealing with and overcoming significant challenges can inspire you to strive for more than you ever thought was possible,” Ng says.  “They will motivate you to persevere for your priorities and personal vision every day of your life.”

About Betty Ng

Betty Ng is the co-author of PO-LING POWER: Propelling Yourself and Others to Success, and founder/CEO of Inspiring Diversity, LLC “iD,” (www.Inspiringdiversity.com), which builds inclusive, collaborative and high-performing communities.  iD is a collaborative community with members of all backgrounds who inspire, empower, and elevate each other to achieve goals. iD also works with organizations to drive profitability through increased employee inclusion, engagement, and performance. A graduate of Stanford University (B.A.-economics) and Harvard Business School (M.B.A.), she is a tech entrepreneur, media and content creator, author, trainer, public speaker and consultant. Ng was a high-level executive at Citigroup and Moody’s.