Democrats are pressing the Interior Department about its public records policies after POLITICO reported last week that senior officials have been seen destroying documents.
Lawmakers are also scrutinizing the resume of President Donald Trump’s nominee for Interior’s internal watchdog, probing whether he plans to conduct internal investigations into alleged misconduct, including mishandling of public records.
“We are deeply concerned by recent reports that officials at the Department have reportedly engaged in actions in violation of the Federal Records Act,” Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), wrote to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Wednesday.
Democrats have launched investigations into alleged ethics violations by Interior officials and asked the agency’s inspector general to determine whether evidence was withheld from federal prosecutors that renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool were botched to back White House claims it was vandalized.
