Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his wife, Lola, brought a taxpayer funded security team to a vacation in Turkey and Greece last year, according to a report Wednesday.
Politico received documents from the Project On Government Oversight that show Zinke used a security detail on a two-week wedding anniversary vacation last August, during which he was not conducting government business.
The documents do not say how much the security cost, who paid for them, how many security personnel accompanied the couple, or whether they traveled with Zinke and his wife for the entire trip.
But the Interior Department told Politico that Zinke used U.S. Park Police officers for security during the vacation because of worries of violence in the region.
“The United States secretary of the interior is in the presidential line of succession and has access to sensitive and classified information, which makes his protection a matter of national security,” said Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift. “In 2016 there were at least 5 terrorist attacks in Istanbul where the secretary traveled. During the period of travel, there were several security incidents and threats in the region. Both of these considerations further merited a prudent security presence.”
The Interior Department inspector general is already investigating Zinke over his use of military and chartered flights, and his attendance at political events while on official travel.
For example, Zinke spent $12,000 for non-commercial travel that included speaking to a professional sports team owned by a former campaign contributor.
Most recently, Zinke came under fire for reportedly spending $139,000 on the construction of a door to his office dubbed the “Secretary’s Door.”
The inspector general office issued a memo in November showing Zinke has failed to properly document his travel, which stymied the agency’s probe.
As part of the probe, the memo showed, the inspector general’s office is examining Lola Zinke’s travel with her husband on official trips.
Lola Zinke joined her husband on international trips and helped arrange the guest list at a Young America’s Foundation town hall where Zinke spoke to young conservatives.
The Interior Department’s communications staff have said all of Zinke’s travel was approved beforehand by ethics officials and he used private charter flights only when commercial flights were not available.
Zinke, who is one of many Trump Cabinet members to face scrutiny over their travel and spending habits, has called the reports on his use of private chartered flights a “little B.S.”
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, meanwhile, is also being investigated by his agency’s inspector general for his travel and spending habits.
A watchdog group earlier Tuesday released documents showing the EPA spent nearly $31,000 on Pruitt’s security detail during a June trip to Italy.
