Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (National Parks Service photo)
Scandal-plagued Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is leaving the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump announced the departure Saturday morning on Twitter.
"Secretary of the Interior @RyanZinke will be leaving the Administration at the end of the year after having served for a period of almost two years," the president tweeted. "Ryan has accomplished much during his tenure and I want to thank him for his service to our Nation."
Trump added that a replacement for Zinke would be announced next week.
Zinke’s tenure has been marked by scandals and ethics investigations into alleged self-dealing and possible criminal violations.
The Justice Department has been asked to investigate Zinke’s involvement in a Montana land deal back by Halliburton chairman David Lesar and a foundation owned by the outgoing secretary and his wife, Lolita Zinke.
The Interior Department’s inspector general is investigating at least three other issues related to Zinke, including possibly improper travel expenditures for his wife and several probes into his conduct with government oversight groups.
The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has counted 17 federal investigations involving Zinke.
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