“So you're not in charge of the department? Oh, my gosh, I thought you were in charge,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland after she avoided questions of possible corruption in her department.
The explosive questioning took place during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting Thursday.
“Your leadership has met with the Wilderness Society. They met with the Wilderness Society when that group was a plaintiff suing the Department of the Interior with an adverse lawsuit against you, and they met with them off the books. I've got the emails,” Hawley said.
“In July of 2021, after you had come to office. Members of the Wilderness Society- when they're suing the department- write to your top deputy and ask for a meeting to keep and keep it off of his calendar. Here it is, July 14th, 2021. ‘Can we set up a meeting with these folks July 19th, 2021?’ They propose how they might calibrate this so it doesn't look like they're violating any of the rules of the court. And remarkably, it stays completely off of everybody's calendars. “
“We only know about it because FOIA requests were filed. And then after they have these ‘off the books’ meetings, their request is to cancel the mineral leasing rights in Minnesota in the Superior National Forest,” Hawley continued.
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“You do it. A few months later, you do it. You cancel the leases and then you withdraw 225,000 acres of critical mining from production and leasing shortly after that. Is it common practice at your department to meet with dark money groups off the books and conceal it from the public?”
Haaland attempted to avoid the question, “Senator, thank you for the question. And of course, I can't answer if you're referring to our former deputy secretary, he's no longer at the department.”
“Who worked for you,” Hawley interjected.
“He worked for the president. He was appointed by the president.”
“He's your deputy secretary. Are you the Secretary of the Department of Interior? I thought that's why you were here. Are you the secretary? Don't look at her. Look at me. Are you the secretary?”
“I am,” Haaland said.
“Do these people who are sitting here today answering most of your questions? Do they work for you? Do they report for you? You're not in charge?” Hawley pressed.
“They work with me,” Haaland replied.
“They work with you. So you're not in charge of the department?” Hawley stated.
Watch the explosive back and forth in the video above.
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