TO: The Honorable Ryan Zinke

FROM: Chairman Rob Bishop, Chairman Bruce Westerman

Dear Mr. Jorjani: 

A recent spike in concerns about federal officials traveling on non-commercial aircraft for official business has prompted various congressional and media inquiries. For example, yesterday, the Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee and the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member requested an Inspector General investigation related to your travel expenses. The request letter, based largely on various media reports, questions, among other cases, the use of "privately chartered flights between St. Tomas [sic] and St. Croix ...." The ranking member's letter, however, selectively avoids the Interior Department spokeswoman's comments stating that "charter or military plane trips were booked only after officials were unable to find commercial flights that would accommodate [your] schedule and all that were 'pre-cleared by career officials in the ethics office'"

Read the entire letter HERE.