The Interior Department's inspector general's office has opened an investigation into Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke's use of private jets funded by taxpayers, Politico reported Monday.
News of the probe comes after it was reported last week Zinke took a $12,375 flight from Las Vegas to Kalispell, Montana.
Health and Human Services Sec. Tom Price resigned Friday amid complaints he had taken private jets for official business to the tune of $1 million. That led Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney to issue an order requiring all use of private flights to be approved by the White House chief of staff.
IG spokeswoman Nancy K. DiPaolo told Politico the office has "received numerous complaints," which led to it launching an investigation into Zinke's travel use last week.
In a speech to the Heritage Foundation on Friday, Zinke called the complaints "a little B.S."
The Vegas trip drew attention because it involved an event tied to a top campaign donor. Zinke gave a motivational speech to the Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey team, owned by Fidelity National Financial chairman Bill Foley.
According to Politico, Fidelity employees, PACs, and related companies have donated almost $200,000 to Zinke's campaigns for Congress.
The Vegas speech made him miss a commercial flight to Wyoming to speak to a governor's group.
Such flights are allowed if commercial flights are not available, and Mulvaney said that was the case in this instance.
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