On February 7, United States Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum committed his first known act of corruption. On that day, Burgum ordered Eagle One, a helicopter owned by the U.S. Park Police, to transport him to Andrews Air Force Base to meet with Trump.
He did this despite several norms, protocols, and his own personal wealth. Burgum has a net worth of above $100 million, which is more than enough to afford his own private transportation. Regarding norms, most Interior secretaries “typically endure the 30-to-40-minute drive to Andrews.”
The Aviation Unit of the U.S. Park Police, a division of the Department of the Interior, does not routinely handle VIP transport, according to a U.S. Park Police fact sheet. The blue-and-white helicopters launch to provide additional aerial surveillance during presidential and other dignitary movements, and are used for “medevac, search and rescue, high-risk prisoner transport,” and to support for law-enforcement operations.
Interior travel guidelines state that “official travel to give speeches, attend conferences or meetings, or make routine site visits” is not an acceptable justification for “mission requirement” travel in government aircraft. There is a separate category of “required use travel” that allows officials to use government aircraft for “certain specific communications, security and exceptional scheduling requirements.” Separate federal regulations require written permission from a senior legal officer for such travel.
The Atlantic
On February 11, Burgum ventured into food-related corruption. After a breakfast at the Treasury headquarters, which features dedicated waiters, Burgum decided to host his own breakfast despite the fact that the Interior Department does not have a wait staff. He utilized four political appointees in the Office of the Secretary to host Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Mark Christie, the head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, for a multicourse lunch.
The Atlantic also uncovered repeated misuse of federal, taxpayer funded staff. Burgum’s chief of staff, JoDee Hanson, requested the political appointees of his office to learn “to regularly bake cookies for Burgum and his guests, using the industrial ovens at the department headquarters.” Burgum, having a refined palette that can distinguish good and bad cookies, told a political appointee to remake a “subpar” batch of cookies.
Burgum has made other bizarre and unprofessional requests. He has asked political appointees to stack firewood in his office’s fireplace, even telling his staff how to “properly arrange” the logs. Removing labels off of water bottles prior to being delivered to him is also asked of his staff to avoid “branding issues.”
