ETHICS/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Justice Department is investigating Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke for possibly using his office for personal gain, following a referral from Interior’s inspector general, two sources familiar with the investigation say. The full extent of the inquiry is unclear. Zinke has faced multiple ethics questions during his time at Interior, and the inspector general’s office has multiple public inquiries into the secretary including the department’s handling of a Connecticut casino project, whether the boundaries for Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument were redrawn to benefit a state lawmaker and conversations between Zinke and Halliburton Chairman David Lesar about a Montana land development project. Zinke said he has not been contacted by the Justice Department.”
–Pamela Brown, Evan Perez, Lauren Fox and Gregory Wallace, “Sources: Justice Department investigating Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, October 30, 2018 3:20 pm