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Whitefish’s Ryan Zinke departs as Interior Secretary

Posted at 10:28 AM, Jan 03, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-03 11:57:37-05

WASHINGTON, DC – Wednesday was US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s last day on the job.

The Whitefish Republican announced in December he would leave the post amid multiple conduct investigations.

At that time, Zinke said he was proud of the work done at the Department of the Interior during his time but could not justify spending thousands of dollars defending himself against what he said were “false allegations.”

Those allegations include the department’s handling of a Connecticut casino project, whether the boundaries of a national monument were re-drawn to benefit a state lawmaker, and a land development project in Whitefish.

Zinke was the first Montanan to serve on the presidential cabinet. No announcements have been made on what Zinke plans to do next