Zinke: One-third of Interior employees not loyal to Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says nearly one-third of employees at his department are not loyal to him and President Donald Trump, adding that he is working to change the department’s regulatory culture to be more business friendly.

Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, says he knew when he became head of the 70,000-employee department that, “I got 30 percent of the crew that’s not loyal to the flag.”

In a speech Monday to an oil industry group, Zinke compared Interior to a pirate ship that captures “a prized ship at sea and only the captain and the first mate row over” to finish the mission.

Zinke said he is pursuing a major reorganization that would push much of the agency’s decision-making outside Washington and move several agencies to the West.