Swamp Creature Takes Interior Department Reins From Ryan Zinke

David Bernhardt, the Interior Departments No. 2 official and a former fossil fuel lobbyist, took over Wednesday as acting secretary after the resignation of scandal-plagued agency chief Ryan Zinke.

With Democrats on Thursday taking back control of the House of Representatives and the powerful subpoena authority that comes with it they have vowed to investigate Zinkes conduct and policy decisions.

Zinke, a former Montana congressman and Navy SEAL, faced nearly 20 federal investigations. Several are ongoing, and one has been referred by Interiors internal watchdog to the Justice Department for possible criminal violations. He has maintained he did nothing wrong and blamed his departure on vicious and politically motivated attacks .

By midday Wednesday, his Twitter profile read former secretary. In a farewell message posted to the social media site, he said it was a high honor to serve @POTUS & the American People.

Weve restored public lands for the benefit & enjoyment of the people, improved public access & shall never be held hostage again for our energy needs, Zinke wrote.

It's been a high honor to serve @POTUS & the American People as @Interior Secretary. We've restored public lands for the benefit & enjoyment of the people, improved public access & shall never be held hostage again for our energy needs. God bless America & those who defend her. pic.twitter.com/JXzVmrpDTg

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It's been a high honor to serve @POTUS & the American People as @Interior Secretary. We've restored public lands for the benefit & enjoyment of the people, improved public access & shall never be held hostage again for our energy needs. God bless America & those who defend her. pic.twitter.com/JXzVmrpDTg
Secretary Ryan Zinke (@SecretaryZinke) January 2, 2019

Trump has not nominated a permanent replacement, as he said he would do in a post to Twitter last month. But several names have surfaced as contenders for the role, including Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and outgoing Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.). Whoever Trump taps must be confirmed by the Senate.

Before being sworn in at the Interior Department on Aug. 1, 2017, Bernhardt, a Colorado native, worked for eight years at the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck , where he lobbied on behalf of oil, gas, mining and agricultural interests. He also previously served as a top Interior official under former President George W. Bush, leading an attempt to open Alaskas pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development. (Last month the Trump administration took a significant step toward its goal of allowing drilling in the refuge, which Zinke said stands out among the most impactful Interior accomplishments in terms of bolstering Americas economic strength and security.)

The Senate confirmed Bernhardt as Interiors deputy secretary in July 2017. Before his confirmation hearing, 150 conservation groups signed a letter opposing his nomination, citing his ties to the industries he is now charged with regulating and labeling him a walking conflict of interest.

He has so many potential conflicts that he carries around a list of former clients and is barred from participating in decisions affecting them, The Washington Post reported in November.