September 12, 2017

CREW requests:

  1. All records concerning Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke’s travel to Colorado from July 19 to July 23, 2017, including but not limited to information on whether he used a government plane for the flight, billed incidental expenses for the trip, itineraries of his travel, and who accompanied Secretary Zinke on the trip.
  2. All records concerning Secretary Zinke’s travel to his home state of Montana since his appointment as Secretary of the Interior, including but not limited to information on whether he used a government plane for the flights, billed incidental expenses for the trips, itineraries of his travel, and who accompanied Secretary Zinke on the trips, which include but are not limited to the following dates:
    • August 24, 2017
    • June 27, 2017
    • May 6, 2017
    • May 12, 2017

Secretary Zinke’s Twitter account documents at least 20 separate domestic trips since his confirmation on March 1, 2017. For instance, on July 20, 2017, Secretary Zinke retweeted a picture of himself from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)’s 45th annual meeting reception in Colorado. He followed the picture with subsequent tweets from the Rocky Mountain National Park on July 21 and 22. Secretary Zinke’s Twitter account also documents at least four trips to his home state of Montana. Prior to taking office, Secretary Zinke’s Twitter account also documents at least four trips to his home state of Montana. Secretary Zinke has confirmed that he”improperly billed the government for travel to his home in Montana when he was mid-level SEAL Team 6 officer.”

The requested records would shed light on whether Secretary Zinke again improperly used government funds to travel to his home state for personal reasons. At a time of expected deep cuts to the federal budget, the taxpayers have a significant interest in learning the extent to which Secretary Zinke has used government funds for travel, and the justification for that use.

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