Two top House Democrats are seeking an investigation into Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s alleged interference on the Obamacare repeal.
Reps. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Frank Pallone, R-N.J., sent letters to the Government Accountability Office and the inspector general at the Interior Department asking the them to look into conversations the secretary had with Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan.
The Alaska Dispatch News reported Thursday that Zinke called the senators and said Murkowski’s vote against the legislation had put Alaska in jeopardy with the administration.
The letters ask the agencies to investigate whether Zinke violated federal anti-lobbying laws as well as the Hobbs Act, which “prohibits actual or attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce.”
Senator @lisamurkowski of the Great State of Alaska really let the Republicans, and our country, down yesterday. Too bad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
On Tuesday night, President Trump tweeted his disappointment at Murkowski’s decision not to support the Obamacare repeal.
The letter to GAO states, “The close timing of these actions suggests an apparent pattern and organized effort within the Trump Administration involving the use of federal resources to advance partisan legislation.”
Pallone is ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce committee, and Grijalva is a ranking member of the the Committee on Natural Resources, which oversees the Interior Department.
