Interior Secretary Burgum’s Key Crony Exposed For Clear And Disqualifying Conflicts of Interest
More Questions For Burgum and Interior After Budd-Falen’s Long-Awaited Financial Disclosure Confirms She Maintains Sizable Big Oil Investments
HELENA, MT – Today, after months of delays and deflections, Donald Trump’s Interior Department finally released the financial disclosure form for Associate Deputy Secretary Karen Budd-Falen, one of Secretary Doug Burgum’s key public land sell-off cronies. The reporting confirmed what many had long suspected: The self-proclaimed “cowboy lawyer” and anti-public land zealot, who has made a career out of fighting to sell off public lands and gut protections, still holds significant investments in Big Oil and has numerous other conflicts given her role as the third highest ranking official at Interior. Budd-Falen’s clear conflict of interests are unethical, and, likely, illegal.
“Something smells inside Trump’s Interior Department. In a major conflict of interest, Karen Budd-Falen, one of Burgum’s top cronies, continues to hold tens of thousands of dollars in Big Oil stocks while she works to advance their interests inside the department—it’s as disqualifying as it is illegal,” said Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill. “Budd-Falen fits right in at Bugrum’s department, which is chock-full of Big Oil, extraction, and unqualified cronies, up to and including people who are revolving-door industry lobbyists. Burgum, Budd-Falen, and ‘Selloff Steve’ Pearce are no doubt already working and scheming to sell off as much of Americans’ public lands as they can get away with.”
More Unanswered Questions For Burgum, His Cronies, and the Interior Department:
Why is Interior and Burgum refusing to disclose information and be transparent?
Where are the remaining financial disclosures and ethics agreements for the other cronies Burgum’s hired?
What other clear conflicts of interests are Burgum and his Interior Department hiding?
How closely is Burgum, his cronies, like Budd-Falen, and the National Energy Dominance Council members working with billionaire oil and gas executives with close ties to the Trump administration to sell out and sell off public lands?
Why did Trump nominate “Selloff Steve” Pearce after he spent his entire career trying to sell off public lands?
Does Burgum agree with Pearce who has criticized historical conservation efforts, including Teddy Roosevelt, “who had the big ideas of big forests and big national parks?”
Why should the American people trust someone who was named one of the “most corrupt members” of Congress to oversee the U.S.’s largest land managing bureau and America’s public lands?
Who is footing the bill for Burgum’s security detail and international travel?
Is he using other congressionally designated funds for international travel on behalf of oil and gas interests?
What other Interior officials, NEDC members, and Big Oil powerbrokers are traveling internationally with Burgum?
Why are Burgum and the Trump administration pushing for LNG exports, which will further increase electric bills for Americans?
Why is the Interior Department and Burgum refusing to release a public schedule and failing to fulfill public records requests?
Why is Burgum and the Interior Department rolling back rules and public land protections supported by Americans?
Why are Burgum and his cronies setting up America’s parks and public lands to fail?
To speak with Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill, email jayson@focalpointstrategygroup.com.
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