by Bill Jones, Stevensville
Pat Earnest writes in the Feb 23, ‘22 B. Star that “things are circulating” about his choice for who “is best qualified” to represent 1 of our only 2 United States Congressmen. The title of the letter mentioned Truth.
He naturally begins with a plug for his choice with a reference to the candidate’s military enlistment, which on it’s face will find no criticism from any quarter around here, with a significant population of service veterans. Now don’t look below the surface of these credentials in the case of Mr. Zinke if you don’t want to find, let me be nice here, negative elements. Some vets develop negative reactions to information about servicemen who’s records disclose bad behavior. Deliberate acts of submitting false travel vouchers to obtain reimbursements does this. Zinke did that, according to accounts published years ago when he became a candidate for public office. Not a concern it seems for Pat Earnest.
There’s more about Earnest’s claims that Mr. Zinke is the best qualified candidate. Shouldn’t we take a brief look at the year and a half Mr. Zinke occupied the office of Secretary of Interior for the twice impeached President Trump? The DOI’s ethics branch had a full plate in short order after Mr. Zinke set up. Recall the office alterations and the bills the taxpayers got hung with. You should Google search for the palacial door episode some time. Some time before you cast your vote. Then there were those meetings in that office of the Secretary behind those doors! Consider those hours on the taxpayer’s dime where Zinke and the developers of a property worked on the deal where Halliburton’s CEO, Zinke’s staff, and Zinke conducted private business to try to finalize a mutually profitable arrangement in Whitefish. Halliburton? Think”big petroleum industry player”. DOI is the citizen’s regulating agency for energy production permitting. Pat Earnest just forgot to mention that.
The Ethics Commission found numerous violations of U.S. law. Found these things and documented them. Pat Earnest states clearly in his third paragraph that “no wrongdoing was found”. That’s a totally false statement, as false as the statements Zinke made to Federal investigators about this. Birds of a feather these two, Zinke and Pat Earnest.
As the above incidents and other unethical habits of Zinke resulted in 17 additional investigations and findings, I propose further googling by Pat Earnest. I’ll keep this letter somewhat shorter by not going further at this time with more foul schemes of the man who suddenly slipped out the back and got his cases swept under the rug. I heard he found work with another outfit in the mining industry who was seeking some permits from DOI’s very own Bureau of Land Management. Things are circulating around, as Pat Earnest puts it, that Zinke is pulling down some sweet paychecks. Better than the average grifter for sure.