Inspector General Opens Ethics Probe Into Interior Secretary David Bernhardt

The Interior Department's Inspector General has opened an ethics investigation into Secretary David Bernhardt. The probe, revealed in a letter Monday from Deputy Inspect General Mary Kendall, came at the request of several Democratic lawmakers concerned the former oil and gas lobbyist, who also represented large water utilities, might have had conflicts of interests involving former clients while he was deputy secretary in 2017 and 2018. The Inspector General's office received seven complaints from "a wide assortment of complainants alleging various conflicts of interest and other violations by (Bernhardt)," Kendall wrote in her letter to Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn. The Washington-based Campaign Legal Center reported receiving a similar letter from Kendall Monday.

Read the full article here