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Zinke: Many Department Of Interior Employees Are ‘Not Loyal To The Flag’

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Henry Rodgers Chief National Correspondent
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Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said a third of his department’s employees are not “loyal to the flag” or to President Donald Trump in a speech Monday.

“I got 30 percent of the crew that’s not loyal to the flag,” Zinke told the National Petroleum Council during a speech, according to the Associated Press

In the speech to the oil industry group, Zinke also compared the Department of the Interior to a pirate ship that captures “a prized ship at sea and only the captain and the first mate row over” to finish the mission. Zinke added everyone who works under him at the Interior needs to be held accountable for their actions.

“We do have good people [at the Interior],” he said, “but the direction has to be clear and you’ve got to hold people accountable.”

Zinke’s statement comes as NFL players around the league are kneeling in protest during the national anthem, following Trump’s statement that players who do so should be fired.

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