Reports: Trump Taps Navy SEAL Vet Rep. Ryan Zinke to Lead Interior Department

                                                  

A retired Navy commander, who commanded SEALs and other special operations forces in Iraq, Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke met with the president-elect .

The conference call with reporters, Jason Miller, a spokesman for the Presidential Transition Team, said Zinke was a strong candidate for joining the Trump cabinet.

“Congressman Ryan Zinke from Montana. Congressman Zinke was an early Trump supporter,” Miller said.

“His background includes time in the Montana senate and 22 years as a Navy SEAL. Congressman Zinke is a strong advocate for American energy independence and he supports an all-encompassing energy policy that includes renewables, fossil fuels, and alternative energy,” he said.

Miller added, “Zinke believes we need to find a way to cut through bureaucracy to ensure our nation’s parks, forests, and other public areas are properly maintained and used effectively.”

The man Zinke replaced in the House, Sen. Steven D. Daines (R.-Mont.), Tweeted out his support for the Zinke pick:

.@RepRyanZinke protected us abroad and in combat and I know he will do the same for our treasured public lands as Secretary of the Interior.