Zinke calls Patagonia a liar. Opens himself up to legal liability.

[mainer]

In an interview with Fox News last Tuesday, the interior secretary criticized Patagonia as one of many companies “that make their products in other places on foreign shores.” Separately that same day, Zinke called the claim made on Patagonia's website “nefarious, false and a lie,” telling reporters on a conference call that land withdrawn from the national monuments would remain under federal control.

It's the retweet, however, that opens Zinke to legal liability, according to Walter Shaub, former director of the Office of Government Ethics under President Barack Obama. On Twitter, he called the message “wildly inappropriate:"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2017/12/11/the-energy-202-ryan-zinke-rebuffed-for-retweet/5a2d9b5630fb0469e883faf3/?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.acc3cd01461c

[Raster]

1. Maybe El Zinke has a nice little "I'm being sued" flag he can fly when he's...

...in residence. Oh yes. Maybe he can ride his horsey to his deposition.

[n2doc]

2. Openly using the Government to spew propaganda and lies to the American People

WASHINGTON — The House Committee on Natural Resources has joined Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s fight against Patagonia, accusing the American outdoor retailer of lying in order to sell merchandise…. That the post comes from an official government account has raised both ethical and legal questions. Walter Shaub, the former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, said the federal government “officially and publicly calling a company a liar for political reasons is a bizarre and dangerous departure from civic norms.” Shaub also wrote that the “attack” on Patagonia “sure looks a lot like a violation” of House committee rules dealing with social media communication.

http://whatwouldjackdo.org/2017/12/11/ethics-are-for-losers-and-liberals/