Trump’s Billionaire Interior Sec. Burgum Finally Issues Order Installing Unqualified Investment Banker to Oversee Parks And Wildlife Following Pressure
Raises More Questions Over Cronies Being Installed At Interior Without Proper Authorization, Issuing Illegal Orders
HELENA, MT – Following explosive reporting that revealed a former investment banker with minimal conservation experience was secretly operating America’s National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service without proper legal authorization, Donald Trump’s billionaire Interior Secretary Doug Burgum backpedaled by finally officially installing Kevin Lilly, an uber-wealthy Houston-based investment banker with no relevant experience, as Assistant Secretary of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
“Billionaire Interior Sec. Doug Burgum really bungled this up big time. Burgum just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar trying to install unqualified cronies behind closed doors into high-level positions overseeing America’s iconic national parks and wildlife as part of the Trump administration’s continued ‘sellout, sell-off, and privatize’ assault,” said Jayson O’Neill, Save Our Parks spokesperson. “This poorly executed cover-up by Burgum and Trump’s corrupt Interior Department raises more questions and concerns than it answers, and the fact remains that any order or directive by these cronies prior to Burgum’s bungled secretarial order is illegal and subject to challenge.”
On Friday, August 1, billionaire Interior Secretary Burgum officially issued a secretarial order formally appointing Lilly to oversee the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This official appointment comes after Lilly had already been conducting official business in July, receiving briefings and visiting active incidents at the Dragon Bravo fire in the Grand Canyon, all while lacking proper authorization to act in this capacity. The National Parks Service is in complete disarray under the Trump administration and has recently announced it would raise fees on international visitors and would be the lead agency in charge of Trump’s recently announced $200 million ballroom.
The Trump administration is attempting to exploit the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which provides a mechanism to fill positions without Senate confirmation or meaningful public oversight, effectively bypassing the traditional vetting process that ensures qualified candidates are placed in critical conservation roles.
The secretarial order also designates Tyler Hassen, a former oil industry executive turned Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) operative, as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary. This appointment comes despite recent reporting and Hassen’s own admission indicating he was leaving the agency following his assignment to restructure the Department of the Interior.
“Burgum installing cronies into key positions represents a dangerous escalation in the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of America’s parks and public lands,” Save Our Parks’ Jayson O’Neill concluded. “They snuck Kevin Lilly in through the back door, let him operate without proper authorization, and then quietly made it official once they got caught. Placing an investment banker with no meaningful conservation background in charge of our national parks and the North American Wildlife Model is not just irresponsible—it’s a betrayal of the American people’s trust in protecting our natural heritage and birthright.”
The position of Assistant Secretary of Fish, Wildlife and Parks carries enormous responsibility, overseeing the management of America’s 63 National Parks and 570 national wildlife refuges. The role requires deep expertise in conservation science, environmental protection, wildlife management, and public land stewardship—qualifications that Lilly’s background in investment banking does not provide.
See more below about chaos inside Trump and Billionaire Burgum’s Department of the Interior:
Montana Dispatch: A Houston Investment Banker Now Has Control Of America’s National Parks
Then late last week, Trump’s billionaire and friend-of-big-oil Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, delivered another blow when he quietly installed Kevin Lilly, an investment banker from Houston, to the post of Assistant Secretary of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, an incredibly important position entrusted with overseeing all of America’s 63 National Parks and 570 national wildlife refuges and marine national monuments.
Following Lilly’s installation at Interior, my fellow Montanan Jayson O’Neill, who is a spokesman for Save Our Parks, pressed the Interior Department about the ethics and dubious legality of this backdoor staffing move. A testy response from the Interior spokesperson refused to comment on staffing decisions. Still, they ended with a boastful admission: “Just to clarify: Kevin Lilly is legally performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.”
Last week, I pressed the Interior Dept. about why there was no Secretarial Order appointing Lilly to this post
DOI spox July 30: "The Department is not legally required to issue a Secretarial Order. Try using Google next time."
Aug 1: Burgum amends leadership SO to incl. Lilly
SFGATE: Trump admin quietly appoints national parks head with no experience
As the Dragon Bravo Fire continued to burn thousands of acres in Grand Canyon National Park last week, politicians and National Park Service leaders convened at the park for a briefing on the wildfire. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs took a helicopter tour to survey the damage and met with various Interior Department staff members — including a new political appointee, Kevin Lilly.
Park service and public land advocates said they are concerned about the lack of transparency around Lilly’s position, and at least some advocates are claiming that Lilly’s work may not be legal. “Without an official Secretarial Order by Burgum, all actions taken by Lilly in his current role would be illegal,” said Jayson O’Neill, a spokesperson for Save Our Parks, a recently launched campaign to expose threats to national parks and other public lands.
E&E News: DOGE aide Tyler Hassen expected to leave Interior
Tyler Hassen, who was central to the Department of Government Efficiency push to overhaul the Interior Department, is expected to leave the government next month, according to The New York Times.
Hassen, an early DOGE appointee at Interior during the Trump administration, was elevated to a senior role on Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s team when he was promoted to be acting assistant secretary of policy, management and budget — putting him at the helm of cost cutting-efforts and a reorganization.
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