So if not being fully “candid” in an interview is grounds for being fired 24 hours before being eligible to retire, discriminating against employees on the basis of race and political party ought to be grounds for dismissal, right? I mean, we are a nation of laws where everyone is treated fairly and according to the same standards, right?
Look at how incredibly smug this guy is in everything he does and says. I’d say he’s the worst, but there are so many to choose from. My fear is if we get Pruitt out at EPA, Zinke might slide on over and do even more damage there.
I’m trying to understand this report. Somehow I can’t imagine that a complete failure to document the (possibly unlawful) reasons for firing or reassigning people somehow makes the personnel moves A-OK. It seems they’re saying the firings are contrary to regulations, but not provably motivated by racial animus.
The incompetence defense strikes again?
I think this is more the infamous Zwinkie defense.
The handling of these reassignments and the findings in this report are a nice microcosm of the entire executive branch under Trump (although Scott Pruitt might stand above most agency heads when it comes to corruption and corrupt intent).
Democrats on the oversight committee are asking the wrong questions. They should be grilling him how he could possibly by such a disloyal embarrassment to his President, by doing something so incredibly sloppy and foolish.
It’s likely illegal. It sure looks and smells illegal. But, we can’t prove it’s illegal because they didn’t document things and consult with the people they’re supposed to as required by law. So, whatever. Here are our recommendations which will probably be ignored, and now I guess we have to watch out for our own jobs for even writing this report.
More disregard of the rules and potential criminal behavior by Trump and his appointees. I wish I could say I was shocked, but I’m not.
They’re so incompetent that the IG can’t even tell if they’re acting illegally?
Sheesh.
It is unfortunate that Powers Boothe is no longer with us to play Zinke in the future TV movie: Trump’s Agents of HYDRA.
My impression is that if a personnal action isn’t done with full crossing of t’s and dotting of i’s it can be reversed with the help of a lawyer, but that doesn’t stop the jerks from doing it again or sanction them in any way other than a letter in their file that they can ignore.
So what is new? Just about everything that Trump and his merry band of the Cabinet appointees do is illegal, . . . and without legal consequence, apparently.
When are our elected leaders and our law enforcement officials going to do anything about this?
Yeah, I don’t get this, “Oh we had reasons but we shredded them” loophole. How is not having your documentation an out?
It is becoming more and more obvious to me that T rump deliberately created his cabinet for the express purpose of breaking the rule of law that has held this nation together for 242 years.
First question on the application - “Are you willing…no, anxious…to break the laws in order to implement policy and destroy the institutions of American government?”
Holy shit. You’d think that now and then they could figure out how to do something RIGHT. The dumbasses don’t have the slightest bit of foresight.
Nation of LAWS!?! Are you CRAZZZZZEEEEE?? We are a nation of MEN — REAL men: Trump, Zinke, Pruitt, Price, Flynn, Cohen, Deripaska, Kudlow, Bolton, MAN-afort, Stone (or Cajones as we like to call him), Sessions … OK, well, maybe not Sessions. Men who aren’t afraid to take a stand — even if it’s TOTALLY ILLEGAL! Because that’s what they do! Men who stand ready and willing to lay their dicks, er, I mean your chips … on the table … in their unflinching desire to Make America Great Again! COVFEFE!
Like they care. Zinke is a thug who was hired specifically because he would scoff at the law and do what needs doing to serve the plutocrats’ interests.
But investigators with the DOI Inspector General’s office said they were unable to say definitively because the agency failed to properly document their reasons for ousting the employees.
Well, doesn’t that violate federal law?