"WASHINGTON — President Trump’s choice to lead the Interior Department, David Bernhardt, a former oil lobbyist who has been accused of conflicts of interest, faced questioning Thursday from senators who must decide whether he is the right person to oversee some 500 million acres of public land and vast coastal waters.
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, chairwoman of the Senate Energy Committee, where Mr. Bernhardt testified, called his qualifications “unparalleled,” and other Republicans praised his experience and ethics. But a senior Democrat, Ron Wyden of Oregon, unleashed a scathing rebuke, telling Mr. Bernhardt, “You’re just another corrupt official.”
Seated behind him in the hearing room was a protester costumed as a green swamp creature, an apparent reference to Mr. Trump’s pledge to “drain the swamp” of lobbyist influence in Washington policy circles."
Coral Davenport reports for the New York Times March 28, 2019.
SEE ALSO:
"Swamp Creatures Silently Protest At Confirmation Hearing Of Trump Interior Pick" (Washington Post)
"Interior Secretary Nominee Faces Hearing Despite Lack Of Details Over His 2 Years At Agency" (CNN)
"Bernhardt on Climate: 'I'm Not A Wallflower'" (ClimateWire)
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