Trump’s pick to lead the Department of the Interior has been through the revolving door between government and lobbying so much it’ll make your head spin. David Bernhardt has been the number two guy at the agency for a while and is likely going to be the next Interior Secretary now that ethically-challenged Ryan Zinke is out.
The more you look into Bernhardt, the slimier he appears. He lobbies for oil and gas, lead paint and big agribusiness when he is in the private sector. When he puts on his government hat, he pushes policies favorable to those same interests. Um, within months of going through the revolving door.
Bernhardt pushed oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge when he worked for George W. Bush and is trying to gut the Endangered Species Act under Trump. The more you look, the worse this guy is— and it looks like he’s well on his way to leading the agency that controls around 75% of our public lands.