Interior secretary nominee faces jabs over prior lobbying work
The nominee to be President Trump’s second Interior secretary, David Bernhardt, has a lot of experience at the Interior Department. He has also represented the oil industry as a lawyer and lobbyist, and that drew a masked troll to his confirmation hearing Thursday.
“Members of the committee, Good morning. I am humbled to appear here today as the president’s nominee for the position of secretary of the Interior,” Bernhardt told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
In the audience, a few rows behind Bernhardt, a woman listened while wearing a green rubber or latex mask that covered her whole head. Space alien? No, this mask had gills: Swamp creature.
Bernhardt is now the acting secretary, and he was the No 2 at the department under President Trump’s prior Interior secretary, Ryan Zinke. Bernhardt also worked in the upper echelons of Interior during the George W. Bush administration. In between, he worked as a lawyer and lobbyist for oil companies and a petroleum industry trade association.
Read more: https://www.alaskapublic.org/2019/03/28/interior-secretary-nominee-faces-jabs-over-prior-lobbying-work/