Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s press secretary denied rumors the Trump cabinet official had reached out to Fox News for a position at the network Thursday.
The denial follows a Politico report claiming Zinke is considering resigning as head of the Department of the Interior (DOI) by the end of the year and looking for a new job to land in, citing “people knowledgeable about the discussions.”
U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke testifies before a Senate Appropriations Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the FY2019 funding request and budget justification for the Interior Department, on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
Zinke was reportedly “exploring potential roles with Fox News,” and was also looking for work on the boards of various energy companies in the private sector, according to Politico.
The DOI press secretary said the rumor about Fox News is “laughably false and belongs in The Onion” in a Thursday tweet.
It’s laughably false and belongs in The Onion.
— DOI PressSec (@DOIPressSec) November 9, 2018
“No one at FOX News has spoken to Zinke about a contributor role,” Fox News said in a statement.
The rumors come on the heels of the DOI inspector general referring an ongoing ethics probe into Zinke to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for a possible criminal investigation. Zinke has faced more than a dozen inspector general probes since taking office over his travel spending and decisions.
President Donald Trump has stood by Zinke so far, but has said the White House will “look into” allegations against the DOI secretary.
Democrats and environmentalists have targeted Zinke for months, especially since Scott Pruitt, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), left office after a flood of negative news stories on his spending and living arrangements. (RELATED: Dems Shifting Their Sights From Pruitt To Zinke)
A Democratic majority in the House already promises to keep Zinke busy with calls for investigations and subpoenas of agency communications and records.
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