A minor dispute, prompting a call to the authorities, took place over a parking spot in front of the house rented by Ryan Zinke in which a man claimed to be the interior secretary, according to reports.
A black Mercedes SUV taking up several parking spaces idling by the curb for hours drew inquiries from a neighbor and later her husband, who asked the driver to move to open up parking spaces, according to the Washington Post.
After the driver refused, a man described by next-door neighbor Paul Legere as a six-foot white man, about 30 years old, left Zinke’s house and approached Legere.
“He said, ‘I’m Ryan Zinke.’ I said, ‘Dude, you’re not Zinke.’ I asked, ‘Who are you?’” Legere said to the Post.
The man gave his name as Scott and went back into the home — and then, U.S. Park Police arrived.
Legere told Politico that park police from two vehicles wore riot gear and spoke with neighbors. Legere said he was told by park police the mystery man was authorized to be there.
Not long after, the Mercedes SUV, which had left after the man went back into the house, returned and picked up several men.
The park police reportedly did not comment to the Washington Post, but an Interior Department spokeswoman told Politico that Zinke was the one who called them.
“Secretary Zinke and his friends were watching football and BBQing at home last night. Zinke called his security detail with concerns about a suspicious individual staking out his home and guests. While waiting for the USPP to arrive, another individual began yelling profanities in the street about the President and the Secretary,” spokesperson Faith Vander Voort said in a statement to Politico. “The Secretary remained inside his home the entire night while the USPP responded.”
Zinke has come in for criticism for traveling with his wife and for a Montana land deal involving the chairman of oil services company Halliburton, which has an interest in Interior Department actions related to oil exploration and drilling.
Huffington Post reporter Chris D’Angelo said Legere looked at photos of several people suspected of being the man with whom he spoke, but did not see him.
Zinke’s next-door neighbor, Paul Legere, has looked at a few photos & ruled out the following individuals as the Zinke impersonator who ID’d himself as “Scott”
– Scott Hommel, Zinke’s chief of staff
– Micah Chambers, acting dir. of agency’s OCL
– Zinke’s sons Wolfgang and Konrad— Chris D’Angelo (@c_m_dangelo) November 6, 2018
