President Donald Trump on Monday announced that David Bernhardt will be nominated to become Secretary of the Interior.
Bernhardt took over the role in an acting capacity following the resignation of Ryan Zinke.
Zinke, 57, announced his departure amid scrutiny about his conduct in office. He faced multiple federal ethics probes into his travel habits and potential conflicts of interest during his tenure in Trump’s Cabinet.
Zinke has denied any wrongdoing.
His departure came just before Democrats took majority control of the House of Representatives, where the newly empowered party has vowed to pursue new investigations and revivify existing probes into various figures and features of Trump’s administration.
Bernhardt, 49, will have to be confirmed by the Senate to get the job.
The White House described the Rifle, Colorado native as “an avid hunter and fisherman” when it announced that he had been tapped by Trump to become deputy secretary for the Department of the Interior.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
