White House denies ‘hand picking’ controversial Interior watchdog candidate

The White House denied Friday that it had picked a controversial candidate for the Interior Department’s top watchdog position, raising further questions about who in the administration aimed to put her in the role overseeing the probes of Secretary Ryan Zinke. “The claim we hand-picked her is completely inaccurate,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told POLITICO. Gidley did not immediately offer more information. Interior said yesterday that Suzanne Tufts, a Republican political appointee who served as assistant secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, “was referred to the Department by the White House as a potential candidate for a position in the Inspector General’s office.” The White House denial that it picked Tufts is the latest in a round of finger pointing by the White House, Interior and HUD on the choice of Tufts, a GOP operative with no experiencing investigating allegations of unethical behavior. The Interior IG's office has opened several investigations into Zinke's actions, and a report obtained by POLITICO on Thursday faulted him for seeking to skirt or alter department policies to justify his taxpayer-funded trips with his wife. HUD Secretary Ben Carson told staff in an October 12 email that Tufts was leaving his department to become the Interior IG’s “acting director.” The director position has been vacant for 10 years, and the office is being led by Deputy Director Mary Kendall. Interior said yesterday Carson’s email “had false information in it” and that “anonymous claims from ‘White House officials’ that the Department blindsided them are absolutely false.” What’s Next: Democrats have asked for more information on Tuft’s vetting. source: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/19/white-house-interior-watchdog-candidate-915966 #Headlines by: blefebvre@politico.com (Ben Lefebvre)

Original Post: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/19/white-house-interior-watchdog-candidate-915966